XLMedia appoints trusted hand Rowan Ellis as new CFO 

The board of XLMedia has confirmed the resignation of Iain Balchin as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the London AIM listed igaming publisher.

 Balchin, who will depart the company on 22 July, is set to be replaced as CFO by Rowan Ellis, who has served as a financial consultant to XLMedia since April 2020.

XLMedia informs that Ellis has provided guidance on its broader M&A strategy, including serving as a key stakeholder in its subsequent acquisitions of both CBWG and Sports Betting Dime, expanding the publisher’s footprint within the nascent US wagering market.

Ellis maintains financial planning and risk management experience, having held interim CRO, Finance Director, and Transformation Director roles for multiple financial institutions including WiZink Bank, Co-operative Bank, Metro Bank, RBS and WorldPay Plc.

He joins the XLMedia leadership team as the company continues to overhaul its publishing strategy, refocusing its affiliate publishing network on promoting gambling services/products.  

A transformed XLMedia is currently targeting the recovery of its Europe website ranking on Google, alongside an accelerated expansion of its inventory for the US market.

Backing the appointment of Ellis, Chris Bell, Non-Executive Chair of XLMedia, commented: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Iain for his contribution to the business and wish him every success for the future.

“We have now commenced the search for Iain’s long-term successor, but believe that, in Rowan, we have someone who already has a good understanding of our business and the finance function and has been central to a number of key initiatives already implemented.”