People news 10 July 2014
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (4 July to 10 July 2014)
William Hill appoints James Henderson as CEO
Retiring Ralph Topping to stand down as CEO on 31 July and be succeeded by group operations director Henderson after “extensive” search
William Hill has named group operations director James Henderson as the operator’s new chief executive, bringing to an end the company’s search for a successor to 44-year company veteran Ralph Topping.
Henderson has been appointed to the UK bookmaker’s board as CEO designate with immediate effect and is set to take up the role officially on 1 August after what chairman Gareth Davies described as an “extensive and thorough review” of candidates both internally and externally.
Henderson’s appointment ends months of speculation in the UK press as to when Topping would leave the company and confirms reports last month that Henderson had been lined up as a replacement.
In his current role as director of operations, Henderson oversees the operator’s UK retail arm, William Hill Online, William Hill Australia following the departure of CEO Michael Sullivan and William Hill US.
OPAP offers redundancy to 75% of workforce
OPAP has confirmed that it has launched a voluntary redundancy scheme for more than 600 members of its staff “ around 75% of its entire workforce “ as it looks to continue with its restructuring efforts.
A spokesperson for the Greek monopoly confirmed the redundancy programme to eGaming Review, adding that the business needed to shed “some fat” in order to make it more efficient moving forward.
The redundancy scheme is set to run until 15 July and is mainly focused on staffers within the firm’s retail network, with OPAP looking to a more digital future having recently launched its first online product; a sportsbook developed by international gaming supplier GTECH.
Ralph Topping’s legacy: Five biggest achievements
Over the course of his remarkable career, outgoing William Hill CEO Ralph Topping has watched the online gambling world emerge and led his employer to the forefront of it.
From establishing William Hill’s online presence, to revamping its entire digital business and expanding the brand on a global scale, the Scot deserves much credit for his time at the top.
We rank his five biggest achievements during his tenure six-year tenure as chief executive.
Analysis: Can new CEO James Henderson maintain William Hill’s success?
From shop floor to CEO. That appears to be the blueprint for a William Hill chief executive these days after the operator last week announced it had selected director of operations James Henderson as its successor to Ralph Topping.
According to William Hill’s chairman Gareth Davis, Henderson was quick to establish himself as the leading internal candidate to replace the charismatic and, without doubt, successful incumbent.
Despite hiring head-hunter the Zygos Partnership to run the rule over a number of external candidates, Hills opted for a “natural bookie” who first joined the company in 1985 as a trainee betting shop manager.
Poll results: 888 right to cut Suarez ties
888 was right to end its sponsorship agreement with Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez after he bit an opposition player during a World Cup game last month, according to respondents to last week’s eGR poll.
More than two thirds (67%) said the operator made the right call when faced with the tricky decision of whether to retain the global superstar as brand ambassador, or bring the deal to a premature end.
However the remaining 33% said 888 had acted too swiftly “ prior to the footballer apologising in fact “ and would suffer from losing such a high profile marketing tool.
Big Fish Casino has strengthened its Oakland-based product team after appointing experienced duo Julia Munck and Erica May to its ranks.
Munck has joined Big Fish Casino as its director of product management, bringing with her more than 16 years’ worth of gaming experience having started her career at Swedish company Vision Park Entertainment.
More recently, Munck spent nine years at Electronic Arts where she was director of franchise partnerships for its Tetris and Hasbro titles, including Monopoly Slots and Bingo.