Former Rank CEO John O’Reilly joins UK Tote Group
O’Reilly has been named as a non-executive director of the heritage pools betting operator.
UK.- The UK Tote Group has appointed former Rank Group CEO John O’Reilly as a non-executive director. O’Reilly will take up the role at the start of next month amid a period of change for the heritage pools betting operator. Chief Operating Officer Dave Hammond departed last week after eight months in the role, while Andrew Weir, formerly of KPMG, has also joined as a non-executive director.
O’Reilly was CEO of Rank Group, the company behind Grosvenor Casinos and the Mecca bingo brand, from May 2018 until January of this year. Since then, he’s been appointed as chair of Weatherbys, a company that manages racing services for the British Horseracing Authority and also runs Weatherbys Private Bank.
Before his tenure at Rank, O’Reilly spent close to two decades as executive director at Ladbrokes from 1992 to 2011 and four years as managing director of Gala Coral Group (2011 to 2015). He also held board-level roles at TelecityGroup (2007 to 2016) and William Hill (2017 to 2018).
Speaking about his latest appointment, O’Reilly said: “Like so many people deeply involved in gambling and horseracing, I have had many connections with, and fond memories of the Tote over the years. While the Tote has a century of history, I believe it has a very valuable role to play in the future of horseracing, both in the UK and Ireland and around the globe.
“The Tote has an impressive story to tell of innovation and growth in recent years, and through further enhancements to the pool product, alongside developing deepening international partnerships, I believe the Tote has its best days ahead of it. I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the UK Tote Group board and to support the Tote’s future success.”
UK Tote Group chairman John Williamson said: “We are pleased to welcome John to the UK Tote Group board. As one of the most experienced and respected leaders in the betting industry, John will provide valuable support to the Tote team, particularly in relation to product development and customer experience. We are delighted to have John join the team, alongside Andrew Weir who joined the UK Tote Group board earlier this month.”
The changes at the UK Tote Group come as the wider horseracing sector continues to grapple with governance challenges and a decline in betting revenue. The British Horseracing Association has urged people to oppose the Gambling Commission’s intention to sign off on gambling financial risk checks via the Save our Bets campaign.
