Pilkington to exit as CEO of KaFe Rocks

Pilkington has led the business as CEO since February 2020, prior to which he served as its vice-president of English markets and before that as head of English language markets.

Prior to joining KaFe Rocks in May 2018, Pilkington spent two years at Perform Group in what was his second spell with the business. He spent time as commercial manager for betting at Perform Gaming and also as head of sportsbook for the Dabblebet brand.

During his first spell with Perform he was commercial manager for betting with consumer brands and portals, as well as strategic campaign manager for betting at Goal.com.

In between these spells, Pilkington was a director at both Simpil Consulting and Omnium, while during his earlier career, he worked for Travel Trade Gazette London, BetRecruit.com, Ladbrokes eGaming, Kelly Services and Imagine Recruitment. 

Pilkington will officially step down as CEO on 31 December.

Letter to staff

He announced his resignation in a letter to staff.

“I’ve spoken often about my passion and love for KaFe Rocks, including as recently as the RocketFest Reunion in October and, as I look back and reflect on my time here, it’s clear to me that this passion and love is as strong now as it ever was and I will remain the biggest supporter and cheerleader of the company from the outside,” Pilkington said.

“However, regardless of this passion, I’ve always believed that you’ve got to know when it’s the right time to let go and I’ve always said, from day one, that when the right time comes for someone else to take this company forward, then I will stand out of the way because it’s the best thing for the company and I wish the company nothing but the best ahead.

“It’s also the right time and the right thing to do for me – this role is extremely involved and I’ve always endeavoured to give everything I can to make it a great place to work, but also a successful place of work too. That said, a sustained break to recharge and re-energise while looking towards the future will be most welcome.”

Change in ownership

Pilkington added that his departure was not linked with recent strategic changes at KaFe Rocks, which was acquired by Glitnor Group in February this year.

“I want everyone to know that this decision to part ways is something very separate and I truly believe in the changes that we’ve made acting as the catalyst for long-term future success and growth,” he said.

“I also trust completely in the owners and leadership team to deliver this over the coming months, while a new CEO is recruited.”