Playtech has announced the appointment of former DAZN executive John Gleasure as an independent non-executive director and the firm’s chair elect ahead of the impending departure of Brian Mattingley.
Following the FTSE 250 supplier’s AGM next month, it is expected that Gleasure will succeed Mattingley as Playtech chair.
Mattingley, 73, resigned from his post in January, yet stayed in the role to support the transition process.
The former 888 boss had spearheaded the Playtech boardroom since March 2021, during which time the company was subject to several takeover bids which ultimately failed to materialise.
His expected replacement, Gleasure, has more than three decades of experience across the sports, media and technology sectors.
Currently, he serves a non-executive director for media company The Sporting News and sports streaming and entertainment giant DAZN.
Prior to that, he was DAZN’s executive vice-chairman for more than two years, after a near-five-year stint as the company’s chief business development officer.
Gleasure founded Perform, a digital sports media company that provided live data and content to online betting companies prior to its listing in 2011. Perform eventually merged with STATS, creating Stats Perform in the process, in 2019.
He has also held leadership positions at Sony, Sky Sports and EMI Music.
Gleasure will receive £140,000 a year as a non-executive director, with the salary to rise again once Gleasure’s tenure as chairman officially begins.
Reflecting on his new role, Gleasure commented: “I am delighted to be joining Playtech at such a pivotal moment in its history.
“Playtech is a unique and highly innovative business, underpinned by market-leading technology and relationships with the world’s leading gambling operators.
“I’m excited about the opportunities ahead, and I look forward to working with everyone at Playtech to drive forward its strategy and create further value for our shareholders.”
Former 888 chairman and CEO Mattingley also addressed the appointment of his successor by saying: “We are very pleased to welcome John to our board as a new non-executive director and chairman elect.
“John’s significant experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset for Playtech as it continues its transformation into a predominantly pure-play B2B business. I look forward to giving him every support during this period of transition.”
The supplier’s recent strategic shift has seen Playtech channel the bulk of its efforts to its B2B segment, following the agreed €2.3bn sale of Snaitech to Flutter Entertainment earlier this year. The transaction is expected to complete in Q2.
The London-listed firm is also expected to offload its German-based HAPPYBET brand, while PokerStrategy.com – a poker coaching resource Playtech paid €38.3m for in 2013 – has just been sold for $5.9m.
In a recent Q&A with EGR, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer described the shift to a pure B2B approach as the company “going back to our roots”.
At the time of writing, Playtech shares are trading at 737p in London, up 3% so far this year.
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.
The post Playtech appoints former DAZN exec as new chair elect first appeared on EGR Intel.
John Gleasure to assume independent non-executive director role before officially taking over as chair when Brian Mattingley departs next month
The post Playtech appoints former DAZN exec as new chair elect first appeared on EGR Intel.