People news 6 February 2014
The latest people moves from the egaming industry in the last seven days (30 January to 6 February 2014)
Paddy Power exits continue as Chris Coyne departs
Former head of PaddyPower.com follows head of egaming Isaac Ward to Australia to take on CMO role at Crown Resorts
The leakage of talent at Paddy Power has continued with the departure of the operator’s former online chief Christopher Coyne, who has left to become chief marketing officer of Australian casino group Crown Resorts.
Coyne, who served as head of PaddyPower.com for almost two years before moving into head of competitive intelligence role in May 2013, joins a growing number of names to have left the operator.
The Irish firm has lost the likes of head of egaming Isaac Ward, head of bingo Oonagh Flanagan and head of mobile Sylvie McDermott to competitors in recent months as part of a damaging trend of well-respected talent heading for the exit.
A Paddy Power spokesperson confirmed Coyne’s departure but added that levels of talent flow in its online business are “very much what you’d expect”. “We have significant strength and depth across senior online team and have good online bench strength,” the spokesperson said.
Industry veteran Blandford appointed chair of FSB Tech
Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford has joined FSB Technology as company chairman as part of the nascent sportsbook provider’s plan to accelerate its growth strategy.
Blandford’s appointment comes less than a month after he led a £2.6m financing round for the FSB with the cash set to be invested in its sports betting solution.
The industry veteran was joined by 14 other investors, while previous investors have included Betfair co-founder Andrew Black and current Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glynn.
Seven days in people news:
Lord Faulkner appointed new chair of Alderney regulator
Lord Faulkner of Worcester has been named the new chairman of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) for a five-year term, replacing incumbent John Godfrey who is to retire in May this year.
Godfrey was the Commission’s first chairman and is set to stand down after 14 years in the position with Faulkner selected to step up from his current role as AGCC member of the Commission.
Lord Faulkner, who served as a government minister from 2009 to 2010, will combine his new role with duties as an active Labour peer and deputy speaker in the House of Lords.
More Zynga job cuts as revenues fall 43%
Social gaming operator Zynga has reported a 43% decrease in year-on-year revenues for Q4 2013 as the company prepares to cut more than 300 staff in a dramatic attempt to cut costs.
The job losses, estimated at 314, represent 15% of Zynga’s total workforce and are expected generate nearly US$35m in pre-tax savings. The redundancies follow a 2013 redundancy round which saw more than 500 staff lose their jobs.
The decision comes as latest figures show revenues dropped to $176m during the three-month period compared to $311m in Q4 2012. Zynga’s number of active users also declined, with DAU falling 52% year-on-year and MAUs down 62%.