FIRST.bet has appointed ex-DraftKings senior vice-president Ian Bradley as co-CEO to lead the supplier alongside current boss Tom Light.
Bradley was at DraftKings for six years from April 2020, where he was managing director and senior vice-president of B2B.
Between June 2016 and April 2020, he was a colleague of Light’s at SBTech, having joined the firm as head of platform.
Light previously worked at SBTech between 2014 and 2023, before going on to become FIRST CEO in January 2024.
Bradley became chief product officer at the provider in January 2017 and then moved to the role of chief strategy officer in January 2019.
DraftKings acquired SBTech as part of a three-way merger with special purpose acquisition company Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp, which led to DraftKings listing on the Nasdaq in 2020.
Prior to SBTech, Bradley spent eight years at Sporting Solutions, starting as business and operations manager in 2008 and later promoted to head of integrations in 2012.
The company confirmed the new executive partnership would spearhead its “next phase of growth” and that the pair would be “sharing ownership” of strategy and direction moving forward.
Light said: “Ian is one of the most respected leaders in our industry. I worked alongside him at SBTech, so I’ve seen first-hand what he builds.
“I’ve wanted him alongside me at FIRST.bet for some time – that he’s only now free to join tells you how highly DraftKings valued him.
“Asking Ian to run the business with me as co-CEO is the clearest statement of intent we could make: FIRST.bet is building the platform serious operators choose, and together we’ll get there faster.”
Bradley added: “FIRST.bet has built something rare – a world-class team and genuinely tier-one technology, with the trading depth and product to back it.
“I wanted to work alongside a team like this and help build on the success they’ve already created.
“Running the company alongside Tom as co-CEO is exactly the challenge I wanted next. The opportunity in B2B right now – across Latam, Europe and beyond – is enormous.”
Light was one of several ex-SBTech heads to found FIRST at the beginning of 2024.
In June 2024, FIRST sportsbook launched a plug-and-play betting solution, with in-house trading teams creating thousands of markets. At the time, the business employed 270 people in product and development and 180 people in trading.
Arnold Ash is EGR’s executive recruitment partner. It supports ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.
The post FIRST.bet adds ex-DraftKings sportsbook chief as co-CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.
Ian Bradley to take on joint leadership position alongside existing boss Tom Light, with the former SBTech pair reuniting at the supplier
The post FIRST.bet adds ex-DraftKings sportsbook chief as co-CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.