FanDuel names Murray and Nabavi to public and federal affairs roles

US online betting and gaming giant FanDuel Group has appointed Shailagh Murray and Jonathan Nabavi to lead public and federal affairs. The move aligns with FanDuel’s ongoing need to address regulatory developments in North America.

Murray has been named Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, while Nabavi will serve as Vice President of Federal Affairs. Both executives bring prior experience in government, communications, and regulatory matters.

“As we look to the future, we understand the important role FanDuel must play in policy discussions that will address how we build and shape the online gaming industry over the long term,” said Christian Genetski, President at FanDuel. “Shailagh and Jon bring decades of experience navigating difficult policy issues in a thoughtful, collaborative manner. We are confident they are the right leaders to work alongside key stakeholders to grow our industry responsibly and sustainably.”

Murray most recently served as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Columbia University. From 2015 to 2017, she was Senior Advisor to President Obama. Before that, she held roles as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director to Vice President Joe Biden.

Earlier in her career, Murray worked as a journalist with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, covering topics such as the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the expansion of the European Union, U.S. election cycles, and major legislative debates, including the Iraq War and the Affordable Care Act.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Meanwhile, Nabavi joins FanDuel from the National Football League, where he oversaw the league’s public policy and legislative agenda. He represented the NFL before the U.S. Congress, the White House, government agencies, foreign governments, and international institutions. His responsibilities included advising the league on its approach to sports betting and shaping its policy strategy for the industry.

Before working at the NFL, Nabavi served as Majority Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where he provided strategic counsel to then-Chairman Chuck Grassley.

He also held roles as Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and as a senior adviser to several members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nabavi earned his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, where he was an academic All-Big Ten football team member and a student in the Schreyer Honors College. He holds a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School.

FanDuel Group operates a portfolio of mobile gaming brands, including FanDuel Sportsbook, FanDuel Casino, FanDuel Racing, and a daily fantasy sports platform. It also operates FanDuel TV and the direct-to-consumer OTT service FanDuel TV+. In addition to its New York headquarters, FanDuel maintains offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Jersey City, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, and Australia.