France’s FDJ appoints Andy Wright as Sporting Group CEO

The French lottery operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) has named Andy Wright to replace Simon Trim.

France.- The French national lottery operator, La Française des Jeux (FDJ), has appointed Andy Wright to replace Simon Trim as CEO of its Sporting Group subsidiary.

Sporting Group runs FDJ’s B2C spread betting brand Sporting Index and supplies odds, software, trading and risk management services through its Sporting Solutions B2B arm.

Wright previously led Tabcorp’s betting business in Australia. Before that, he worked as group trading director for Ladbrokes’ executive leadership team.

Trim has been with Sporting Group for 23 years, serving as CEO for five. He led the group’s integration into FDJ following the French lottery operator’s acquisition of the company in 2019. 

He will remain on board as a special advisor to the CEO for several months to promote a smooth transition.

See also: FDJ reports 5.2% rise in revenue in first quarter

Wright said: “I am delighted to join Sporting Group at this exciting period of its evolution. I have admired its excellence of pricing, trading and risk management for many years and how it has leveraged this capability and the Sporting Index brand awareness to expand its B2B operation with Sporting Solutions across the globe.”

Xavier Etienne, vice president of technology and international at FDJ, said: “I would like to thank Simon Trim for his dedication and stewardship over the years and the achievements of Sporting until today, building strong brands and making an impact on its markets.

“Andy Wright has a unique blend of skills in many relevant areas for Sporting Group and FDJ Group. Along with his operational capabilities and recognised leadership, he is the perfect fit for us to further enhance the execution of our strategy.”

At the start of the year, FDJ announced a series of boardroom changes, with Françoise Gri appointed as an independent director.