William Hill PLC William Hill appoints Chairman Designate (8543Z)
20 December 2017 - 6:00PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMWMH TIDMMARS
RNS Number : 8543Z
William Hill PLC
20 December 2017
20 December 2017
William Hill appoints Roger Devlin as Chairman Designate
William Hill PLC ('the Company') (LSE: WMH) announces the
appointment of Roger Devlin as Chairman Designate with effect from
1 February 2018.
Roger Devlin will join the Board as Chairman Designate on 1
February and, following an induction and handover, he will be
appointed Chairman on 2 April 2018 when Gareth Davis will stand
down.
Roger has extensive experience as an executive, non-executive
and Chairman in listed companies, including relevant experience of
a number of businesses and organisations in leisure, sport and
betting and gaming. He has been Chairman of leading pub operator
and brewer Marston's PLC since September 2013. He is also currently
Chairman of Sports Information Systems (Holdings) Limited (SIS),
where William Hill plc is a 19.5% shareholder, and a non-executive
director of the Football Association but will step down from both
these roles in January and June 2018 respectively. Previously,
Roger was Chairman of private gaming operator and developer Gamesys
between 2006 and 2016.
Prior to building his experience as an independent director,
Roger had a successful executive career which included a variety of
senior and board level roles, spanning investment banking,
industrial and international businesses. This included over ten
years with Hilton Group plc as Group Corporate Development Director
and an Executive Committee member as well as a Board director for
both the hotels and Ladbrokes businesses owned by Hilton Group at
that time.
Commenting on the appointment Sir Roy Gardner, Senior
Independent Director of William Hill said:
"Roger Devlin has extensive experience as a listed company
Chairman, in the City from his early days in corporate finance and
across his sector relevant appointments at Hilton Group, Gamesys
and SIS. We look forward to him joining as Chairman and continuing
the strong recent progress the Group has made under Gareth's
chairmanship.
"On behalf of the Board I would also like to take this early
opportunity to thank Gareth Davis for his considerable contribution
and commitment to the Group over the past seven years. Gareth's
experience, energy and commitment have been of considerable benefit
to William Hill as we seek to continue to grow the business online
and internationally, and to deliver our strategy. We look forward
to working with him in the coming months and wish him well for the
future."
William Hill Chairman Gareth Davis commented:
"I have greatly enjoyed my time at William Hill and am pleased
the business is on a strong footing, continues to grow and has
established strategic positions in key international markets. I
will be working closely with Roger Devlin in the coming months to
introduce him to the business before I step down as planned and I
wish Roger all the best for his future at what is a great
company."
Roger Devlin, prospective Chairman Designate, William Hill
commented:
"William Hill is a business and brand I have greatly admired
during my years in the leisure sector and more recently as Chair of
SIS. I recognise that there are both immediate challenges to
address for the industry and considerable medium and longer term
opportunities for the Group, and I look forward to working with
Philip Bowcock, his executive team and the Board to deliver further
progress for the Group and shareholders."
Notes to Editors
The decision to appoint Roger Devlin represents the culmination
of a detailed search process overseen by the Company's Nomination
Committee and led by Sir Roy Gardner, Senior Independent Director.
The process to plan for the Chairman's succession commenced earlier
in 2017, in line with Gareth Davis' indication that he intended to
step down before the 2018 Annual General Meeting.
Other disclosures
In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.13R, Roger Devlin is
currently Chairman of Marston's PLC, having been appointed with
effect 1 September 2013. There is no other information required to
be disclosed. Roger Devlin does not currently have an interest in
any ordinary shares of William Hill PLC. Roger will be entitled to
receive a fee of GBP295,000 per annum from appointment, and will
not otherwise receive any additional compensation or benefits.
OAM: Inside information
William Hill LEI: 213800MDW41W5UZQIX82
William Hill PLC
Philip Bowcock, CEO
Ruth Prior, CFO
Lyndsay Wright, Director of Strategy, Brand and IR +44 (0) 20
8918 3614
Ciaran O'Brien, Director of Corporate Comms +44 (0) 20 8918 3732
Brunswick Andrew Porter / Oliver Hughes / Chris Buscombe +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
About William Hill PLC
William Hill, The Home of Betting, is one of the world's leading
betting and gaming companies, employing around 16,000 people.
Founded in 1934, it is the one of the UK's largest bookmakers with
around 2,350 licensed betting offices that provide betting
opportunities on a wide range of sporting and non-sporting events,
gaming on machines and numbers-based products including lotteries.
The Group's Online business (www.williamhill.com) is one of the
world's leading online betting and gaming businesses, providing
customers with the opportunity to access William Hill's products
online, through their smartphone or tablet, by telephone and by
text services. William Hill US was established in June 2012 and
provides land-based and mobile sports betting services in Nevada,
and is the exclusive risk manager for the State of Delaware's
sports lottery. William Hill Australia is one of the largest online
betting businesses in Australia after the Group acquired
Sportingbet and tomwaterhouse.com in 2013. It offers sports betting
products online, by telephone and via mobile devices. William Hill
PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The Group generates
revenues of cGBP1.6bn a year.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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