NEWS > ANALYSIS
Both Davies and former employees we spoke to point to the arrival of Stephen Hill as CEO in 2003 and the in?ux of individuals from other industries, however Davies also recognises: “You could even argue when we set the business up we all came from outside the industry – there wasn’t anyone other than Bert [founder Andrew ‘Bert’ Black] who had any experience of the gambling industry – so I don’t think the lack of industry background is a fundamental issue.” He acknowledges: “You need people who really understand the product, of course you do, but hiring people from outside the industry is a very different thing from understanding what you want to achieve and knowing where you’re going to go.” One issue which remains is that of brand identity, something which some have suggested may be thrown into question not by the large number of exits per se, but rather the fact that many of those behind the early brand identity and brand strength no longer being with Betfair. “I’m not sure you can easily describe Betfair’s brand at the moment, though you de?nitely could [in the past],” says Davies. “I think that is one of the issues – the fact is it was the market leader in everything that was changing for the better in the betting industry and now it is mainly in the pack. "I think it has lost a lot of the positivity already, but getting that back is not impossible by any means and I hope they succeed in doing so.” Furthermore, despite the great number of changes in recent years, many former members of staff still regards Betfair as “a massive success story, having come from nowhere with something new and created that much value for its shareholders". “It’s still fantastic," says one, "but it missed a bit of a trick and needs Breon to bring that singular focus. I don’t think it’s too late, it’s never too late, as you’ve seen with 888 and arguably William Hill, but opportunities have de?nitely been missed.” Whether Corcoran’s new focus means fewer such opportunities are missed going forward remains to be seen, however few could argue he is not setting out to make his mark on the business.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
ARRIVALS & SURVIVORS
ARRIVALS
ALEX GERSH
Chief Financial Officer Replaced Stephen Morana as CFO following the latter’s spell as interim CEO between the exit of David Yu and the arrival of Corcoran. Gersh has previously held ?nancial posts with former OpenBet parent company NDS Group as well as Flag Telecom.
SURVIVORS
MARK BROOKER
MD of sports Former investment banker Brooker joined the operator in 2010 as its corporate development director, working on the operator’s movement in a variety of markets. Late last year he was given the new title of managing director of sports.
JOHN MCELLIGOT
MD of exchange business Brought in as MD of the exchange business in December, perhaps emphasising the operator’s desire to lend signi?cant focus to its ?xed-odds sportsbook separately from its traditional exchange offering. Spent six years with eBay.
MARTIN CRUDDACE
Chief legal and regulatory officer Betfair’s chief legal and regulatory officer has been heavily involved in the ongoing debate concerning UK point of consumption taxation, while representing the operator in its opposition of various other regulatory developments across Europe.
MARK ODY
Brand director Arrived at the same time as McElligot, and his appointment is seen by some as re?ective of Corcoran wishing to replicate the brand focus of his time with Paddy Power. Ody’s previous roles include head of marketing for Guinness, while his time with Diageo saw him involved with Malibu and Bombay Sapphire.
TONY MCALISTER
Chief Technology Officer A one-time chief technology officer with Vodafone, McAlister has held the CTO role at Betfair since 2009. He has overseen the launch of the operator’s highly regarded development centre in San Francisco, and last year was named in CIO.co.uk’s CIO 100.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
THE DEPARTED
NIALL WASS – Betfair’s former CCO left swiftly after Corcoran was announced as the company’s new CEO. He had also applied for the position but after being overlooked, he arguably felt he should leave for pastures new as a result. Now COO of online short-term loan provider Wonga. MATT LAMBERT – Betfair’s former director of public affairs left the ?\?[?\?? ???[? ?[H?\?^ ?][???\[?H?XY ?[H[? ?\????H ?\X?Y ?[X?\???[?Y H?\?]?[??[?X\?H ? L????HZX????R??]\? \?? H???[?? ?\? ?X? \?H? H??\[?H?]?Z\? ?ZY]???[?? ?\X?H[H[?[??XY]?YH\? ]Y\?X??????X\?[??YX?K??\\?X???Y?[[????]HY??Z\??[??\?[??Z?[ XY? X?X?Y??Z\???? HR?[?\?[[? ???UT?PT??T?8?$? B???Y\?R?X[?Y?[??\?X??\???? ???[??\?H???[ [???H?[X?\???[Z[?? ??X? ?[?\?XHH\??X]^ \?Y[??H? \?[??\? [YH ???[?????]?X?]?\?\?[??[X[H[?[?H \?[?? HX\? H^\??] ?[?Y?][? ?]^]X? ??????Y?XY?^?[?K???B?????