Several comings and goings have taken place across the industry recently, as the Betting and Gaming Council, Optimove and Wynn Resorts are among those to have seen changes to their teams.
Betting and Gaming Council
Betting and Gaming Council has announced that Grainne Hurst has officially begun her new role as CEO of the organisation.
Back in April, Hurst was confirmed by the BGC for the CEO role as part of a wider restructuring of the organisation’s senior leadership, with former CEO Michael Dugher becoming Chair after Brigid Simmonds stepped down from the position during the same month.
Hurst joins the BGC from Entain where she has been Group Corporate Affairs Director since March 2018.
“I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, at home in the UK and around the world,” Hurst commented.
“This is a crucial time for the BGC’s diverse and growing membership, which supports 110,000 jobs and caters to millions of customers who enjoy a bet each month in the UK. There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, not least delivering and implementing the outstanding proposals outlined in last year’s White Paper, many of which our members called for.
“That includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted on those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission-critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.
“While achieving regulatory certainty after a period of so much change is top of my priority list, it is important for our industry to focus on stability, growth and diversity across the sector. That work must be underpinned by strong data and guided throughout by the voice of the everyday consumer.”
Dugher added: “On behalf of the entire BGC membership, I’d like to warmly welcome Grainne as she officially starts as CEO. She brings years of experience and knowledge in the regulated industry, together with a bold vision and strategy to refresh and reset the organisation going forward.
“I look forward to working with Grainne in my new role as Chair, and the rest of the outstanding BGC team, as we continue to represent thousands of workers and millions of customers, as well as delivering on our mission to raise standards in safer gambling.”
Betfred
Betfred has named Nick Cockerill as its new Chief Product Officer.
Cockerill brings over 10 years of sports betting and igaming experience to Betfred, having previously worked in senior product and technology roles at Stats Perform, Sky Betting and Gaming, Pokerstars International and Flutter Entertainment.
At Betfred, Cockerill will be tasked with elevating the brand’s online business, enhancing Betfred’s retail offering and accelerating the transition of the operator into a technology-first organisation.
“I’m delighted to join Betfred at such an important and exciting time in their history,” commented Cockerill.
“Betfred is one of the UK’s strongest brands in the sector and I’m looking forward to working with the excellent team here to elevate Betfred to where it should be as one of the top online bookmakers in the UK and advancing our leadership in retail.”
Joanne Whittaker, CEO of Betfred, added: “Nick joins with a wealth of experience and has an excellent track record in the sector. His appointment is key to our huge ambitions for Betfred.”
The Star Entertainment Group
The Star Entertainment Group has appointed Mark Mackay as CEO of The Star Gold Coast.
Mackay brings over 18 years of integrated resorts and gaming experience to The Star, with his most recent role being the Chief Operating Officer for Crown Resorts Melbourne, managing the location’s operation and strategic direction.
Before Crown Resorts in 2017, Mackay was Chief Operating Officer of The Star Gold Coast (then Jupiters Hotel and Casino), but also served in various roles at Jupiters Casino between 2006 and 2017.
Chair of The Star, Anne Ward, said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Mark to The Star as Chief Executive Officer of The Star Gold Coast.
“Mark has a deep understanding of what it takes to run a leading integrated resort development and brings a lot of capability to this role. Mark’s appointment and relevant experience further strengthens our leadership team as we focus on implementing the necessary reforms at The Star.
“This appointment completes the new leadership team structure of decentralised management across our three integrated resort developments in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Ian Brown, General Manager Gaming at The Star Gold Coast, for his leadership, support and significant contribution leading the Gold Coast team through the past four months.”
Optimove
Optimove has expanded its partnerships team with the appointment of Adi Dagan as Senior Director of Partnerships.
With over two decades of experience scaling online businesses and building partnerships,
Dagan’s previous industry roles include being the Co-Founder and CEO of Beehive and the Co-Founder of Everybuddy Games.
In his new role, Dagan will be tasked with expanding Optimove’s strategic partnerships and fostering growth across key markets, expanding the company’s partner ecosystem and recognising new business opportunities, including engaging with key partners and clients at industry events.
“I am extremely excited to join Optimove. It is the clear leader in CRM Marketing for iGaming and Sports Betting,” commented Dagan.
“Optimove’s cutting-edge platform and proven ability to enhance customer engagement through AI-orchestrated, data-driven marketing create a market advantage. Optimove is a clear market differentiator for any partner. I am looking forward to help Optimove continue to build valuable partnerships that drive measurable success for marketers.”
Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Adi to the team. His expertise will be instrumental in expanding our partner ecosystem and delivering even more value to our clients.
“Under his leadership, we are poised to expand and deepen partnerships that deliver next-level personalised engagement solutions to leading brands across the globe.”
Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts has added three executives to its team at Wynn Al Marjan Island, its UAE property scheduled to open in 2027.
Reporting to Wynn Al Marjan Island President Max Tappeiner, the three new appointments are Tom J Roelens as COO, David Patent as Executive Vice President of Casino Operations and Sherri DeSalvio as Vice President of Pre-Opening Planning and Strategic Initiatives.
Overseeing the integrated resort’s non-gaming operations, Roelens brings over 25 years of experience managing ultra-luxury hotel operations to Wynn, including 20 years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Most recently, he opened Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal and managed Atlantis The Palm and Aquaventure World’s operations.
Responsible for gaming operations, Patent was previously CEO of VizExplorer, an analytics and business intelligence solutions provider. He has also held senior management roles at Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas and the Midwest.
In charge of developing and executing key strategic initiatives, DeSalvio began her career with Wynn in 2008, has held hotel sales and convention operations roles and has managed various high-impact special projects.
