Entain chairman Barry Gibson to step down

Current interim chief executive Stella David will take over his responsibilities.

UK.- Entain Plc has announced that Barry Gibson will step down as chairman and will cease all corporate governance functions by the end of September. He will be succeeded by the FTSE-listed operator’s current interim chief executive Stella David, who has been a non-executive director since 2021.

Gibson was appointed as chairman in February 2020 ahead of the group’s rebranding to Entain from GVC Holdings. His tenure also saw the launch of the BetMGM joint venture partner MGM Resorts in the US and the creation of the Entain Foundation. The group also faced increased scrutiny in the period, including the HMRC investigation into bribery allegations involving a former Turkish subsidiary, which led to a £600m settlement.

Gibson said: “It has been a privilege to lead the Board of Entain for the past four years, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at this dynamic, exciting, and innovative business, I reflected a little while ago that 2024 would be the right time for me to retire. I am delighted that, in Stella, Entain has an exceptional successor who knows the business well and has already proven herself to be a firm hand on the tiller in her role as interim CEO.”

While Entain said Gibson will step down by the end of September, it added that David may take over the group’s boardroom leadership earlier depending on when it appoints a permanent CEO following Jette Nygaard-Andersen’s resignation in December 2023.

David previously served as an independent director at Bacardi, Domino’s Pizza and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

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David said: “Barry has been a wonderful mentor and source of wise counsel to so many people during his time as Chair of Entain, and I would like to personally thank him for his unwavering support. The fact that we now have a solid platform and a clear plan for future growth is due in no small part to his efforts. I am entirely focused on my role as interim CEO as we work to accelerate our operational strategy, and look forward to taking over the baton from Barry in due course.”