BetFIRST CEO Alexis Murphy has announced he is leaving the Belgian operator and will be replaced by COO Philip Wilson.
Murphy spent nine years in the position, joining in April 2017, and was at the helm when Betsson acquired the Belgian sports betting and igaming operator in 2023 in a €120m cash-plus-earnout deal.
Prior to joining betFIRST, Murphy was managing director of Ladbrokes’ Belgium operations between January 2014 and December 2016, having joined in April the previous year as a digital director.
A three-year break from the sector came between April 2010 and April 2013, following a five-year stint at Tote from April 2005 to April 2010 as CEO.
Post Betsson’s takeover, Murphy was retained as CEO but has now opted to step aside after betFIRST’s integration into the Swedish-listed firm, with Wilson taking over.
Wilson joined betFIRST in October 2018 as head of trading, before a promotion a 13 months later to head of trading and business intelligence. He has been COO since November 2022.
Giving an update on his next steps, Murphy said: “A new year comes around and a new chapter begins for me.
“Thirty months ago we sold betFIRST to Betsson Group. Since then, I was very fortunate to accompany the great team led there by [CEOs] Pontus Lindwall and Jesper Svensson during the integration of betFIRST to Betsson.
“I am now delighted to now hand over the reigns to my long-time colleague Philip Wilson. I am sure he and the whole team will continue to bring betFIRST to the next level.
“Since joining betFIRST in 2017, it has been a privilege working with visionary shareholders such as François le Hodey, Jacques Elalouf and Kenny Ibgui. We put together an incredible team of talented people to achieve a leadership position in the Belgian market.
“There were crises, doubts and difficult moments along the way … but it forged our company DNA and we had some laughs (and great parties) along the way.”
In February 2024, betFIRST launched its online casino in Belgium, a year after the Betsson deal, in partnership with French operator Group Partouche.
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The post BetFIRST CEO departs and replaced by COO first appeared on EGR Intel.
Alexis Murphy announces he has left after nine years at the helm, with Philip Wilson taking over following the Belgian operator’s integration into Betsson
The post BetFIRST CEO departs and replaced by COO first appeared on EGR Intel.