FDJ announces major restructuring under new executive committee
The French gambling giant has announced a new operating model with four business units.
France.- The French gambling operator Groupe Française des Jeux (Groupe FDJ) has named a new executive committee and announced a major strategic reorganisation following its acquisition of the Swedish online gambling company Kindred. Its new operating model comprises four business units.
FDJ’s new executive committee includes Kindred CEO Nils Andén as chief online betting and gaming officer. CEO Stéphane Pallez, deputy CEO Charles Lantieri and chief financial officer Pascal Chaffard stay in their existing roles while Patrick Buffard has been promoted from French lottery general manager to chief French lottery and retail sports betting officer.
The team also sees Giovanna d’Esposito step into the role of chief international lottery officer. Raphaël Botbol joins the committee as chief payment and services officer, while Valérie Berche serves as chief audit and risks officer and Dominique Cavalié as chief HR and transformation officer. Other members are chief technology officer Xavier Etienne, chief executive advisor Cécile Lagé, chief communications officer Nathalie Le Garlantezec, general counsel Elisabeth Monégier du Sorbier and chief sustainability officer Vincent Perrotin.
The team is completed by chief digital, data and AI officer Sébastien Rozanes and chief regulatory officer Celia Vero. Strategy director Jonathan Gindt and public affairs director Yann Paternoster will also attend executive committee meetings.
New FDJ structure
Meanwhile, the new FDJ structure sees the business organised into four units: French lottery and retail sports betting, online betting and gaming, international lottery and, finally, payment and services, which includes the Nirio payment services launched in 2022.
If France decides to regulate online casino, that will fall under the online betting and gaming division, alongside the existing poker offering. The French lottery and retail sports betting arm will oversee all points of sale and online and retail sports betting. International lottery includes Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), which FDJ bought in 2023.
The company said the new structure “highlights the digitalisation, diversification and globalisation” of its activities and “the latest phase in the organisational transformation of the group” which is now present in nearly 15 countries.
“These four business units will be supported by cross-functional departments covering areas such as innovation, technology, digital acceleration, data and AI as well as group functions,” it said.
FDJ is currently preparing measures to absorb the increase in French gambling tax, which will come into force on July 1. The tax rate on lottery gross gambling revenue will rise from 6.2 to 7.2 per cent while the rate on retail sports betting will rise from 7 to 10 per cent, and the rate on online sports betting will rise from 10.5 to 15 per cent. There will also be a 10 per cent tax on online poker and 15 per cent on gaming operators.
FDJ expects that the new tax rates will have an EBITDA impact of €45m this year and €90m in 2026.
