Stars Group's Andy Burton joins Henry Birch at Shop Direct

The Stars Group’s (TSG) SVP of global sports and trading platforms, Andy Burton, is leaving egaming to become CTO at UK digital retailer Shop Direct under former Rank Group CEO Henry Birch.

Burton, who was CTO at Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) for three years before the group was acquired by Stars, will join the Shop Direct executive board from May 2019.

Burton spent nine years in various tech roles at SBG where he oversaw the growth of the technology team from 40 to more than 700 people, while helping the firm become the UK’s largest online gaming operator by number of customers.

In his new role, Burton will lead Shop Direct’s 275-strong technology team as it “continues to transform its technology and platforms”.

TSG’s Andy Burton

Birch was appointed Shop Direct CEO in March 2018 after leaving UK casino operator Rank.

“Technology underpins everything we do at Shop Direct,” Birch said.

“It helps us deliver the online experience and end-to-end journey that keeps our customers coming back to Very and Littlewoods time and time again.

“It was always our ambition to appoint a heavy-hitting CTO to our board and Andy certainly fits the bill.

“He has unrivalled experience of improving performance and customer experience through technology and new ways of working.

“I am confident that Andy will continue to transform our technology capabilities, deliver the platforms we need to support our ongoing growth and be a vital member of our executive board.”