Flutter Entertainment has announced that John Bryant has officially started his tenure as the global betting and gaming group’s Chair of the Board of Directors.
Byrant’s Chair duties commence today (1 September), replacing outgoing Gary McGann. The transition was first confirmed by the FTSE100 group in April, one month after UK media reported that the appointment was imminent.
McGann has been Chair of Flutter for just under nine years, having first taken on the role in 2015 head the creation of Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) following the merger of the two brands, and in the years since, he has overseen the group’s significant expansion.
PPB acquired US fantasy sports platform turned market-leading bookmaker FanDuel in 2018 in the aftermath of the repeal of PASPA and in 2018. In 2019 it merged with Canadian The Stars Group (TSG) to add PokerStars and Sky Bet to its portfolio and create the current Flutter Entertainment group.
Bryant remarked: “I would like to thank Gary for his excellent stewardship of the Flutter Board during his tenure as Chair and previously as Non-Executive Director. His expertise, professionalism and commitment are greatly appreciated and on behalf of the Board, I wish Gary well in the future.”
Bryant’s previous roles include tenures as Executive Chairman, CEO, CFO and COO of the Kellogg Company and non-executive director of Ball Corporation, Compass Group PLC and Coca-Cola European Partners plc.
The new Chair takes on duties at a transformed Flutter which has emerged as one of the most prominent firms in international betting and gaming, having secured strong footholds in Europe, North America, South America and Africa.
Flutter’s current brand portfolio includes the high-profile UK and Irish Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet brands, Italian market leader Sisal – which has also secured standing in markets such as Tunisia – and perhaps most significantly, US betting sector dominator FanDuel.
The huge growth of the firm’s US profile led to a movement for a stateside public listing, with 99.9% of Flutter shareholders backing such a development at the April AGM at which Bryant was named Chair Designate.
Flutter is eyeing up a valuation of over $38bn from a planned US listing in 2024, which will be used to maintain FanDuel’s market leadership and drive the group to surpass Las Vegas Sands (LVS) as the most valuable global gambling business.
