Directorate Change

Entain PLC

13 December 2023

 

13 December 2023

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIES OR MAY QUALIFY AS INSIDE INFORMATION

Entain plc

("Entain" or "Group")

Directorate Change

Entain plc, the global sports betting and gaming group, announces that Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Chief Executive Officer, has informed the Board that she wishes to stand down from the Group with immediate effect.

The Board has asked Stella David, currently a non-executive director, to become Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis.  Stella will start this week and will remain in the role until a permanent replacement has been found.

Barry Gibson, Chairman of Entain, said: "Under Jette's leadership, Entain has executed a fundamental strategic shift towards regulated or regulating markets, overhauled its governance, transformed its operations, and significantly improved its customer offering.

Jette's decision to leave comes after the resolution of HMRC's investigation into the Company's legacy Turkish-facing business.  She has offered exceptional leadership during what has been a hugely challenging period.  It is no exaggeration to say that the HMRC investigation posed a number of threats to our Group.  As the court last week recognised in approving a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), had the matter not been resolved by way of a DPA, the consequences to the company and all of its stakeholders could have been disproportionate.  The overhaul of the business model, strategy and culture of the Group in recent years was vital to securing the successful conclusion of a DPA process.

We are all indebted to Jette for her dedication to steering the company through such a difficult time.  She has also led the executive team in devising a new commercial strategy that I am confident will lead to stronger organic growth and a more profitable Entain.  On a personal note, I am sorry to see Jette leave the business.

In Stella David we are hugely fortunate to have an intensely commercial leader with a long track record of success across multiple industries.  I am confident that she will quickly help to set us on the path to achieving our strategic aims while we conduct a rigorous search for a permanent CEO."

Jette Nygaard-Andersen said: "The past three years have been rewarding and challenging in equal measure.  The resolution of the HMRC investigation into the legacy business, which was sold by a former management team in 2017, offers a clean inflection point for me and for Entain.  The Group is now safe, stable and sustainable and I believe that this is the right time to move on to other business and career opportunities."

Stella David said: "I have been a Director of Entain for almost three years and have seen up close the extraordinary hard work that Jette and her team have put in overhauling the culture and practices at Entain.  I look forward to helping to build on the strong foundations for future commercial success that she leaves behind her."

This announcement contains information that qualifies or may qualify as inside information within the meaning of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of English law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.  The person responsible for releasing this announcement on behalf of the Company is Simon Zinger, General Counsel.  Upon the publication of this announcement via a regulatory information service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain

Enquiries:

Investor Relations - Entain plc David Lloyd-Seed, Chief IR & Communications Officer Davina Hobbs, Head of Investor Relations Aimee Remey, VP US Investor Relations Callum Sims, IR Manager	[e-mail]
Media - Entain plc Lisa Attenborough, Head of Corporate Communications Jay Dossetter, Head of Corporate PR Jodie Hitch, PR Manager	[e-mail]
Powerscourt Rob Greening/Russ Lynch/Sam Austrums	Tel: [phone] [e-mail]

About Entain plc

​Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world's largest sports betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports brands include BetCity, bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds, Sportingbet, Sports Interaction, STS, SuperSport and TAB NZ; Gaming brands include Foxy Bingo, Gala, GiocoDigitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, Partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.

The Group has a 50/50 joint venture, BetMGM, a leader in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology and capabilities which power BetMGM as well as exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK and is the only global operator to exclusively operate in domestically regulated or regulating markets operating in over 40 territories.

Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects. For more information see the Group's website: www.entaingroup.com

 

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