888 announced that Ben Hurst, a senior executive with extensive experience in the North American market, has been appointed as Vice President of North American Market Expansion.
Hurst’s new role will be to create and implement strategies that will accelerate 888’s presence in this region, especially in the US and Canada.
He will be in charge of leading business development, gathering competitive intelligence, and providing operational strategy, including working with Authentic Brands Group, a strategic partner, to further develop Sports Illustrated’s brand presence.
Hurst has been a senior advisor to 888, since August of last year. He is a mentor and advisor to start-ups through TechStars as well as a consultant for Next League, Likewise, and Interactive Platforms.
Hurst’s career began as a senior vice president, and then head of digital, for Madison Square Gardens Sports & Entertainment (MSG), where he was responsible for all digital initiatives across MSG’s brand portfolio.
Hurst spent nine years at Viacom, where he held a variety of senior positions. He also worked for MTV Networks, Joost, and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Howard Mittman, 888 US President, said: “I’m delighted that Ben is joining our US team in the role of VP.” “Having worked as a consultant with Ben for the past year, I am confident that his knowledge of both the industry and our company will make him the ideal leader to continue to grow our US Business in the future.
Ben has a proven track record in the US media industry, and will bring with him a wealth of knowledge about digital, sports, and entertainment. We are very excited to work with him.”
