Entain reveals struggles with onboarding charity partners
FTSE 100 firm to pledge £100m by 2026 as key figures in company disclose battles they’ve faced to secure partnerships
Two senior Entain figures have revealed the difficulties the company has faced in attempting to implement its ESG strategy.
Speaking at the Entain:Sustain event in London, Enlabs CEO George Ustinov and SVP for American Regulatory Affairs Martin Lycka divulged their separate struggles with attempting to partner with charitable organisations.
ESG has moved to the forefront of strategy at Entain since Jette Nygaard-Andersen was named CEO in January 2021, with the London-listed operator moving to position itself as an industry leader.
The operator has pledged to invest more than £100m in its charity partners by the end of 2026.
The group works with the likes of Children with Cancer UK, Girls Who Code and grassroots football development group Pitching In.
However, Lycka and Ustinov both confirmed they had faced challenges when trying to convince charities and other organisations to partner with Entain.
Lycka explained there was a need to reposition the company away from being purely focused on gambling, and that by widening its remit, would become a more acceptable partner for charities.
“All of a sudden they had second thoughts [on partnering with us],” Lycka said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to help those particular organisations. That’s why I strongly believe it is so important to reposition our organisation as an entertainment and technology company.”
Alternatively, Ustinov noted there was a need to continue to develop Entain’s external messaging around its charitable efforts.
He said: “One of the problems for Enlabs was that some of the charities or organisations were hesitant to accept our support as they didn’t really understand what goals we were pursuing.
“So, the challenge for us is to explain who we are, what the foundation is and what are the objectives,” Ustinov added.