Ian Brown named as Flutter CEO for UK and Ireland

Ian Brown will replace Conor Grant, who will leave Flutter to take a career break.

UK.- Flutter has named Ian Brown, a former Booking.com division CEO, as its new CEO for the UK and Ireland. He will join Flutter in September to replace Conor Grant, who has resigned to take a “planned career break”.

Grant has held the position since July 2020. He had previously worked at Sky Betting & Gaming, which was acquired by The Stars Group just before its merger with Flutter. He joined Sky Betting & Gaming as head of sportsbook product management in August 2010 and went on to serve as managing director and then chief operating officer.

Brown was most recently chief executive at tech service provider UKFast. Before that, he was CEO of Booking.com’s Trips division, which counts the Rentalcars.com brand among its businesses.

He said: “I have followed the impressive story of Flutter and its brands for many years now, and I am delighted to be joining the UK&I business in September. Flutter has a fantastic portfolio of iconic brands and I look forward to helping develop their leadership position in the online entertainment space.”

There will be a short period of transition, with Grant to leave Flutter before the end of the year. Flutter’s brands in the UK include Paddy Power, Sky Betting and Gaming, Betfair and Tombola.

Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson said: “I am delighted to welcome a leader of Ian’s calibre to our executive team. He brings with him broad experience leading online businesses from a range of sectors, including travel, hospitality, business services and financial services. 

“He has been responsible for successful transformations in multiple large businesses, including global brands Booking.com and Rentalcars.com, building scalable tech platforms and organisations with a deep customer focus on ease, accessibility and safety to drive growth.”

Grant said: “I have been immensely proud to lead the UK&I business through such a momentous period for both Flutter and the wider industry. Flutter’s market leading brands, talented team and approach to safer gambling are what sets the business apart. 

“I have no doubt that the business is in good hands and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow sustainably and responsibly into the future.”

In May, Flutter Entertainment Plc revealed that the activist fund Parvus Asset Management has built up a 7.1 per cent interest in the company, crossing the 7 per cent threshold required to obtain voting rights. With Parvus having obtained voting rights, the FTSE 100-listed, Irish-headquartered gambling company was obliged to disclose the interest.

Parvus has accumulated its shareholding through equity and option swaps, avoiding traditional share purchases. Such financial derivatives allow two investors to swap cash for shares for a set period of time.

Meanwhile, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) last month banned another ad from Flutter’s Paddy Power after upholding two complaints raised. The latest decision comes after the watchdog banned a radio ad from the operator in March.

See also: 888 announces new leadership team