XLMedia names Julie Markey as interim chair
Julie Markey will fill the position on an interim basis, replacing Christopher Bell.
UK.- The affiliate group XLMedia has named Julie Markey as interim chair following Christopher Bell’s departure from the role.
Markey, who is currently a non-executive director and chair of the remuneration committee, will assume the role while XLMedia seeks a permanent replacement.
Bell, a former CEO of Ladbrokes Coral, announced his intention to step down in January to take up the same position at Spain’s Codere. He had chaired XLMedia for eight years, seeing its listing on the AIM sub-market of the London Stock Exchange in 2014. Bell is also departing Rank Group.
He said: “It feels like the right time to step aside and let someone new support the business through its next phase of growth. I wish everyone in the company and its shareholders every success for the future.”
XLMedia has said it expects a positive year with growth led by sports acquisitions and partnerships, including its takeovers of BlueClaw and Saturday Football.
Through BlueClaw, XLMedia will build UK hub for operations. It forecasts full-year sports revenue of around US$25.2m and total revenue of around $66.6m, up from $54.8m in 2020.
In November, XLMedia appointed Caroline Ackroyd as CFO. The appointment marked Ackroyd’s return to the sector after she served as director of commercial finance at Sky Betting & Gaming between July 2015 and November 2018.
