SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Flutter Entertainment has appointed a new Chief Executive for its UK & Ireland business and reorganised the scope and remit of its International unit following recent M&A expansions.
This afternoon, the NYSE- and LSE-listed gambling group unveiled a new leadership structure to bolster its global growth ambitions, introducing a new ‘International Division’ as part of a streamlined two-division organisational model.
The revamp sees Flutter International consolidate operations across five key regions: UK & Ireland (UKI), Asia-Pacific (APAC), Southern Europe & Africa (SEA), Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), and Brazil.
The division will be led by Dan Taylor, the current CEO of International. The company’s US operations, led by FanDuel, will continue under the leadership of Amy Howe as US CEO.
As part of the divisional changes, Kevin Harrington, CEO of PokerStars, will take over as CEO of Flutter UKI from 1 January 2025.
Harrington succeeds Ian Brown, who has decided to step down to pursue his career ambitions after leading the UKI business through two years of significant transformation.
“Ian’s time at Flutter has been enormously successful,” said Peter Jackson, CEO of Flutter Entertainment.
“He has transformed the UK & Ireland business on almost every metric and will be a hard act to follow. Kevin’s promotion is very well-deserved, and the business will be in safe hands as we embark on the next phase of our growth plan.”
Harrington, who joined Betfair in 2012 and took on leadership roles at PokerStars from 2020, expressed his excitement about the opportunity. “I’m incredibly proud to be given the chance to take over and run a business I first joined more than a decade ago,” he said. “I want to continue the work that has made Flutter the clear market leader across the UK and Ireland and maintain the high standards we have set – with responsible gambling at the core of all our work.”
The leadership change marks a new chapter for Flutter UKI as it seeks to maintain its market-leading position with brands like Sky Betting & Gaming, Paddy Power, Betfair, Tombola, and PokerStars.
