Tony Kenny will step down from his position of Group PR and Communications lead at William Hill after 16 years with the company.
Kenny held a number of positions at William Hill, including Public Relations and Marketing Manager (Ireland), Head of Online and International PR, Head of PR and Head of External Communications.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Kenny said: “It’s been a real honour for me to lead the Group’s PR and Communications functions for the business.
“Ensuring the William Hill brand was celebrated, trusted and revered in the consumer and corporate space has been a privilege. However, I believe now is the right time for me to seek new opportunities and challenges.”
During his time at William Hill, Kenny oversaw the operator’s expansion into the Irish market and further afield. This was in addition to the development and implementation of PR strategies and crisis management plans for William Hill’s international businesses and the operator’s land based operations.
In 2017, he also held the position of Interim Head of Sponsorship where he was tasked with negotiating a number of activation agreements. These, among others, included deals with the Scottish FA (William Hill Scottish Cup), Matchroom Boxing, Football Writers’ Association, PDC (World Darts Championship) and IFL TV, as well as a global brand ambassador deal with Anthony Joshua.
Kenny has not yet disclosed what his next moves are, however he did note that he would be “taking some time out” from the gambling industry.
He added: “Through the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of wonderful colleagues, but in my early years at Hills, there were definite stand-out figures in my development phase.
“To paraphrase Odysseus/Ulysses, ‘If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Let them say that I lived in the time of two legends of the PR game, David Hood and Graham Sharpe’. Both communications colossuses were a massive help to me in my early career and allowed me to thrive in this fantastic industry, and I am eternally grateful to them.”