Rank Group names O’Reilly CEO
The Rank Group has today (Monday) confirmed the appointment of John O’Reilly as its new chief executive.
O’Reilly will begin his new role on May 8, taking over from Henry Birch whose resignation was announced last month.
Currently serving as a non-executive director on the William Hill board, O’Reilly will bring with him more than 25 years’ of experience in the betting and gaming industry.
O’Reilly previously led Ladbrokes’ digital operations and was also an executive director on the company’s board until August 2010, before joining Gala Coral Group in August 2011 to relaunch the Coral brand online as managing director of Coral Interactive.
In addition, O’Reilly had a spell as chairman of digital design and development business Grand Parade Limited.
O’Reilly, who will step down from William Hill board in order to take on his new role at Rank, said: “Rank has very strong brands which resonate with customers and a growing digital offering and I look forward to building on this strong platform and taking Rank onto its next stage of development.”
Meanwhile, Rank has also appointed Alan Morgan as retail managing director and an executive director on its board, with effect from May 7.
Morgan joined Rank in September 2016 as managing director of Mecca’s retail bingo business and assumed additional responsibility for Grosvenor's retail casino business in October 2017.
Ian Burke, chairman of Rank, said: “John brings a wealth of gambling industry experience, particularly in digital, and I am delighted that he is joining the board of Rank as its chief executive.
“His impressive reputation and track record for delivering growth mean he is well-equipped to drive our performance going forward.
“I am also delighted that Alan is joining the board as executive director; with his in-depth understanding of our business, I am confident he will contribute significantly to the future development of Rank.
“I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our thanks to Henry Birch for his significant contribution over the last four years and wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Related article: Birch to depart as chief executive of Rank Group