Philip Bowcock takes full leadership of William Hill Plc

The William Hill board of directors has this morning confirmed that acting Interim-CEO Philip Bowcock has been promoted to the position of Group Chief Executive Officer, taking on full leadership duties of the FTSE-listed betting operator.

The official appointment of Bowcock as CEO, sees William Governance end its + 8-month search for a replacement to former leader James Henderson who resigned last July due to the operator’s digital performance decline.

William Hill Chairman Gareth Davis, who has led the firm’s search for a new leader commented on the appointment: “Since his appointment as Interim CEO last July, Philip has driven the business forward at real pace and we have seen important progress across our Online, Retail and international businesses over that time. Our recent results show that William Hill is now in a stronger position and Philip has outlined a clear plan to continue that momentum into the future.”

Taking over William Hill leadership, Bowcock will be charged with implementing the firm’s recovery in much-changed UK and international betting sector. In its February corporate update William governance detailed that the company would implement a ‘three point’ recovery plan focusing on: recovering UK market position, continued international growth/expansion, and substantially increasing operational efficiencies.

Bowcock commented on his appointment as group CEO “I am proud to be chosen to lead William Hill, a business that millions of customers trust and a brand that is synonymous with betting. During my time at the helm, I have had the opportunity to lead a passionate, talented and committed team and we have made considerable operational progress in recent months. The team and I are excited by the opportunity to keep improving our position in all our key markets whilst delivering a great experience for our customers.”