Rank Group hires John O'Reilly as new CEO to drive digital future

O’Reilly will succeed Henry Birch, whose resignation will become effective from the same date. He will bring over 25 years of experience in the betting and gaming industry, both in the UK and internationally.

O’Reilly previously led and grew Ladbrokes’ digital operations and was an executive director on the Ladbrokes plc board until August 2010. In August 2011 he joined the Gala Coral Group to relaunch the Coral brand online as Managing Director of Coral Interactive. He has more recently been chairman of the digital design and development business Grand Parade Limited, a non-executive director of Weatherbys Limited and, since January 2017, non-executive director of William Hill PLC and chair of the board's Transformation Oversight Committee. He will step down from the William Hill board to take up his position with Rank.

Rank Group has also announced the appointment of Alan Morgan, Retail Managing Director, to the Board as Executive Director with effect from 7 May 2018.

Alan joined Rank in September 2016 as managing director of Mecca’s retail bingo business and assumed additional responsibility for Grosvenor’s retail casino business in October 2017. Prior to joining Rank, he held senior positions at Whitbread and, most recently, as chief operating and commercial officer of Spirit Pub Company.

Ian Burke, Chairman of Rank, said: “John brings a wealth of gambling industry experience, particularly in digital, and I am delighted that he is joining the board of Rank as its Chief Executive. His impressive reputation and track record for delivering growth mean he is well-equipped to drive our performance going forward. “I am also delighted that Alan is joining the board as Executive Director. With his in-depth understanding of our business, I am confident he will contribute significantly to the future development of Rank. “I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our thanks to Henry Birch for his significant contribution over the last four years and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

John O’Reilly, incoming Chief Executive Officer commented: “I am excited to be joining Rank, a company synonymous with the UK gaming industry. Rank has very strong brands which resonate with customers and a growing digital offering and I look forward to building on this strong platform and taking Rank onto its next stage of development.” Page 2 of 2 Rank confirms there is no information to be disclosed under the requirements of Listing Rule 9.6.13 in relation to these appointments.