Gambling company Flutter Entertainment has named PokerStars chief Kevin Harrington as the new CEO for its UK & Ireland operations. Kevin Harrington will replace Ian Brown as CEO of Flutter UK&I. Brown is quitting after more than two years in the role, during which he managed leading brands including Sky Betting & Gaming, Paddy Power, Betfair, Tombola, and PokerStars. This change in leadership comes as part of a minor organisational restructure for the industry giant.
Kevin Harrington, appointed as Flutter’s UK & Ireland CEO despite the recent restructuring, holds nearly 20 years of professional experience. His career in the gaming industry started in December 2012 when he joined Betfair as UK Commercial Director, a role he held for nearly three and a half years. He later moved to Paddy Power Betfair, where he worked until January 2018 before taking on roles at Flutter.
At Flutter, he held the post of Managing Director of Betfair from January 2018 to August 2020, before moving on to become the International Chief Commercial Officer, the position he held until August 2023. Most recently, Harrington was CEO of PokerStars, a position he held for almost 18 months before assuming his new role.
Flutter restructures operations
Flutter is restructuring its operations into a two-division model, with one division dedicated to its US operations and the other encompassing all markets globally. Currently, the company operates through four divisions: US, UK & Ireland, Australia, and International, as outlined in its Q3 report. Under the new framework, operations from the UK & Ireland, Asia-Pacific, Southern Europe & Africa, Central & Eastern Europe, and Brazil will be unified under the Flutter International division.
Harrington’s vision for Flutter UK&I
On becoming UK&I CEO, Harrington stated: “I’m incredibly proud to be given the chance to take over and run a business I first joined more than a decade ago. 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.”
Peter Jackson praises Ian Brown’s leadership
Flutter CEO Peter Jackson praised Ian Brown’s tenure, stating, “Ian’s tenure at Flutter has been enormously successful. He has transformed the UK & Ireland business on almost every metric, and he 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.”
Reflecting on his time, Ian Brown said, “The transformation over the past two years has been incredibly exciting. I’m especially proud of our success in gaining market share in a challenging environment, driven by investments in customer innovation and our people. With Kevin’s deep understanding of our business, I’m confident he will continue the strong momentum and lead Flutter UK&I to new heights.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Peter and the entire Flutter team for making this one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”
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