People news 21 January 2016
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (15 January to 21 January 2016)
William Hill Online MD Andrew Lee departs
Director of corporate development and innovation Cripsin Nieboer takes over as interim MD
William Hill Online managing director Andrew Lee (pictured) is to step down from the role this year as the operator continues to ring the management changes within its digital business.
In a Q4 trading update last week, the company announced Lee will be replaced by its current director of corporate development and innovation, Crispin Nieboer, on an interim basis.
eGR understands Lee has been placed on gardening leave and will officially leave the firm at some point in 2016.
His departure follows the arrival of former Playtech man Aaron Johnston who was brought in by the firm as a consultant last year to “analyse and improve” the performance of the digital business.
William Hill exits continue as CTO Finbarr Joy resigns
William Hill chief technology officer (CTO) Finbarr Joy has joined a growing list of senior figures to leave the operator in recent months after deciding to quit the firm.
Joy, who has been a driving force behind much of William Hill’s ongoing technological innovation push, is understood to have tendered his resignation last month and will leave the operator later this year.
Leeds-based Joy was originally appointed head of technology in November 2012 before taking up his current CTO role the following year. Prior to joining Hills Joy worked in senior technology and IT roles at solicitors Goldsmith Williams and BT.
Seven days in people news:
GVC hires Nick Batram for new IR and corporate strategy role
GVC Holdings has appointed respected leisure and gaming analyst Nick Batram to the newly created role of head of investor relations and corporate strategy.
Batram, who has headed-up Peel Hunt’s leisure and gaming team for the past seven years, will join GVC in Q2 2016 and will be responsible for the Sportingbet-owner’s capital markets facing activities.
A City analyst for more than three decades, Batram will also lead GVC’s global investor communications programme and its internal corporate finance and strategic business development.
Lottoland hires former Gala Coral product head as VP
Lottoland has strengthened its management team with the hire of former Gala Coral product head Robert Fell to the role of vice president of product.
Fell joined the Gibraltar-based operator earlier this month and, among other responsibilities, has been tasked with leading the bet-on-lotteries firm’s mobile offer.
He becomes the latest in a line of recent senior appointments at Lottoland, with the operator having recently hired Lucky Multani as COO and Glen Bullen as vice president of B2B.
BetHard names former PokerStars manager as CEO
Former Rational Group general manager Michael Holmberg has been named as the new chief exec of online casino and sports betting operator BetHard.
Holmberg has held a number of senior roles at PokerStars and parent company Rational Group and will join the firm on 1 February 2016.
BetHard founder Erik Skarp said the appointment of Holmberg was a “key recruitment” for the firm, which operates sites such as BetHard.com, SverigeCasino.com, and NorgeVegas.com.
Mr Green makes casino and responsible gaming hires
Mr Green has announced two new recruits as it looks to bolster its casino and responsible gaming operations.
Andrew Crosby, who was previously a senior account manager at NetEnt, joins the operator as head of casino.
Mr Green CEO Bo W?nghammar said Crosby’s experience working closely with the operator while at NetEnt would prove valuable.
Digital content developer Betdigital have bolstered their team by recruiting five new specialists for 2016.
Having secured over 30 games for release this year, four new HTML5 Developers and an additional Mathematician have come on board to help satisfy the demand for Betdigital’s integration services.
The four additions to the mobile team are seasoned developers, having originally worked within the banking, telecoms and games studio industries.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings has named Janet Holian as its first global chief marketing officer as it looks to take its brand and business “to the next level”.
Holian will oversee worldwide revenue, advertising and sponsorships, brand licensing, game operations and events, plus its global marketing strategy and international expansion plans.
She has been working with DraftKings as an advisor since the firm’s inception, but will now take up a permanent full-time role at the Boston-based operator.
Hard Rock International has named industry veteran Kresimir Spajic as its new senior vice president of online gaming as the casino operator looks to grow its presence in the sector.
Spajic will be responsible for leading the vision, strategy and operational execution behind the brand’s investment across various egaming platforms.
Hard Rock said he would also be instrumental in securing partnership and future opportunities to position the brand as a “global leader” in international and online gaming.