Entain has announced a new leadership team following the departure of Jette Nygaard-Andersen as CEO. The company announced the appointment of Stella David as Interim CEO, alongside four additional appointments integral to the group’s governance structure.
Stella David’s elevation to the role of Interim CEO marks one of five key appointments within Entain’s leadership.
Pierre Bouchut has been appointed as the Senior Independent Director, Virginia McDowell assumes the position of Chair of the Remuneration Committee, Barry Gibson takes on the role of Chair of the People and Governance Committee, and Rahul Welde joins as a member of the People and Governance Committee.
Jette Nygaard-Andersen
Barry Gibson, the Chairman of Entain, expressed his satisfaction with the new appointments, stating: “I am delighted that Pierre has agreed to take on the role of Senior Independent Director.”
“His extensive board experience and profound knowledge of the Company make him ideally placed for this position. I am also grateful to Virginia and Rahul for their commitment to these additional responsibilities.”
Barry Gibson, the Chairman of Entain
Reflecting on the departure of Nygaard-Andersen, Gibson praised her leadership and contribution to the company’s operations last week, emphasizing the strategic shift towards regulated markets and improvements across the board.
“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,” he stated.
He acknowledged the challenging period marked by the resolution of HMRC’s investigation into the company’s legacy Turkish-facing business, stating that Nygaard-Andersen provided exceptional leadership during this critical time. Entain is set to pay $774 million to settle a bribery probe over its former Turkish subsidiary.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the HMRC investigation posed a number of threats to our group,” added Gibson. “As the court last week recognized in approving a deferred prosecution agreement, 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.”
Stella David, addressing Nygaard-Andersen’s departure, also acknowledged the considerable effort and dedication Nygaard-Andersen and her team invested in transforming Entain’s operations.
“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 into overhauling the culture and practices at Entain,” she said. “I look forward to helping to build on the strong foundations for future commercial success that she leaves behind her.”
