Flutter Entertainment UK and Ireland CEO Steps Down
The Flutter Entertainment UK and Ireland CEO, Conor Grant, has exited the company to spend more time with his family. Former Booking.com CEO Ian Brown takes his place at the London-listed operator.
Grant Calls Time on his Flutter Career ©Pixabay.
Flutter Entertainment has confirmed that UK & Ireland CEO Conor Grant has resigned his position at the FTSE 100 operator to take a planned career break.
Grant has been with Flutter for 17 years and within the gaming industry for over 20 years. He leaves the post to spend more time with his family. He started his gaming career as a retail shop manager for Paddy Power and has held several roles, including ten years at Flutter’s Sky Betting and Gaming (SBG) subsidiary. At SBG, Grant was head of sportsbook product management before moving upstairs and taking on several roles at a directorial level.
These roles include director of sportsbook and iGaming product development roles before taking on the position of managing director with SBG in August 2016. In recent years he has served as the chief operating officer in October 2018 before taking his last role, UK & Ireland CEO, in July 2020.
Grant has vast experience in the sector, and before Flutter, he held leadership positions at BoyleSports and Blue Square, one of the first gaming operators in the modern internet age.
In recent times at Flutter, Grant has taken the lead on the operator’s response to the long-delayed government white paper on gambling reforms.
In December, Grant released a letter to employees in which he outlined the company’s approach to the potential new regulation.
Entitled “Safer Gambling – putting our customers first”, he wrote:
“At Flutter, we welcomed the launch of the Gambling Act Review last December and have consistently championed a regulatory framework that raises the responsibility threshold for all operators and creates a level playing field. Importantly, though, we have not been idly tinkering around the edges in the hope that the status quo can be maintained.”
He continued, “We have been looking at meaningful ways we can enhance customer protections – not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is vital for the sustainability of our industry. The initiatives we have pioneered during the past twelve months aren’t cosmetic gestures; they are meaningful changes which we believe will move the dial for customers.”
Flutter has decided to go outside the gaming industry for Grant’s replacement.
Ian Brown will be joining them in September. Brown’s previous role was as chief executive at Booking.com’s Trip department. He will oversee Flutter’s Paddy Power, Sky Betting and Gaming, Betfair and Tombola brands. Peter Jackson, the CEO of Flutter Entertainment, praised Grant for the “significant contribution” he had made to the group.
His work on the strategic vision and direction of our UK&I business has set us in great stead for the future, and his passion and determination to put our customer’s safety at the heart of what we do has anchored our industry-leading Play Well strategy,” the CEO explained.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Conor and will personally miss his sound commercial judgement and a keen eye for business opportunities. I’m sorry to see him leave but wish him well for the future.
