Allwyn adds two appointments to board

The company has appointed Sharon Doherty and Victoria McKenzie-Gould as it begins its transition plan to take on the UK National Lottery.

UK.- Following its formal appointment to run the UK National Lottery from 2024, Allwyn has named Sharon Doherty and Victoria McKenzie-Gould to join its board as independent non-executive directors. They will aid the company’s implementation of its transition plan for the lottery.

Doherty is chief people and places officer at Lloyds Banking Group and has previously worked at Finastra, Vodafone and BAA Heathrow Airport. At Vodafone, she served as human resources director for 30,000 staff in the company’s technology division. She served as chief people and places officer at Finastra.

McKenzie-Gould is corporate affairs director at Marks & Spencer. She previously held corporate affairs leadership roles at Tesco and Britvic and served as a special advisor to the former prime minister Tony Blair. 

Allwyn chair Justin King said: “We are delighted to welcome Victoria and Sharon to Allwyn’s team of sector-leading experts who are implementing a forensically detailed and winning proposal through the transition to the Fourth National Lottery Licence.

“We are committed to building a diverse board who oversee and hold the business to account every day while helping in a practical way meet all the challenges that a project of this size entails. These appointments continue the forward momentum needed to put in place a more accessible National Lottery that is bigger, better and safer for all.”

The Gambling Commission has formally begun the handover process to Allwyn after Camelot dropped its legal attempt to block the move. Allwyn has confirmed that it will operate from Watford, where current operator Camelot has based its administration since the National Lottery began in 1994.

It says it’s reached a deal to open an extra office in Watford at Iveco House above Watford Junction train station so that it can work near Camelot’s current operations for an easier transition.

It said the location would allow Allwyn and Camelot to “work collaboratively to deliver the transition successfully”. Allwyn added that Camelot’s staff of around 900 would be able to keep their jobs, insisting that it is “committed to Watford”. The new office, not far from Camelot’s HQ in Tolpit Lane, appears to suggest that will be the case.

Last month, Allwyn agreed with Cohn Robbins Holdings Corp special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) not to go ahead with their planned merger. However, Allwyn says it still intends to launch publicly and enter the US market when conditions improve.