Entain, the FTSE 100 playing group, has been rebuffed by the previous bosses of bookies Coral and Sky Bet in its hunt for a brand new chief govt.
Sky News has learnt that Entain, which owns Ladbrokes, approached Andy Hornby, who now runs Wagamama’s mother or father firm, and Richard Flint, who holds a portfolio of roles, concerning the job.
Industry sources mentioned that Dan Taylor, chief govt of Flutter Entertainment’s worldwide operations, was additionally among the many potential candidates for the function.
Entain, which has been underneath mounting stress from activist buyers due to its poor efficiency, declined to touch upon Friday.
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Last month, it mentioned that Barry Gibson, its chairman, would retire later this 12 months and get replaced by interim chair Stella David.
The firm ousted Jette Nygaard-Andersen, its former chief govt, late final 12 months.
News of its approaches to Mr Hornby, a former chief govt of HBOS and Boots The Chemist, and Mr Flint, who ran Sky Bet for a number of years, is unsurprising given buyers’ calls for for a pacesetter with intensive playing sector experience.
Mr Flint advised Sky News’ enterprise presenter Ian King lately that he was not within the Entain publish regardless of having stepped down as a non-executive director of Flutter.
“Ignore what other bookmakers might say or the odds they might put out there – I am very much enjoying the package of things I’ve got on at the moment,” he mentioned.
Entain, which has seen its shares almost halved within the final 12 months, has employed bankers to promote PartyPoker and different non-core operations.
As effectively as Ladbrokes, Entain owns Coral and a stake in BetMGM, a serious US betting participant.
Entain has endured a torrid interval as activists have constructed an more and more outstanding place on its share register.
The firm has confronted a deluge of regulatory issues, triggering sharp criticism of its governance and enterprise practices.
Shares in Entain had been buying and selling at round 797.4p on Friday afternoon, giving the corporate a market capitalisation of £5bn.
Mr Hornby couldn’t be reached for remark.
Content Source: information.sky.com