Phil Walker Steps Up as UK and Ireland Managing Director at 888 William Hill
William Hill appoints Phil Walker as Managing Director for UK and Ireland
Get ready, folks! Phil Walker, a seasoned industry veteran with 20 years of experience across retail, catalog, internet, telephone, and mobile channels, is all set to take the helm as the UK and Ireland Managing Director at the newly-formed entity – 888 William Hill.
Exciting news! I am thrilled to announce that I will be stepping into the role of UK & Ireland Managing Director at 888 William Hill!
A Man of Many Hats
With a wealth of experience under his belt, Walker has held high-profile positions such as the group chief operating officer of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange, a non-exec chair at KeyCom Limited, and the owner of Sandstar Consulting. He's also no stranger to the gaming industry, having worked for heavyweights like Ladbrokes Coral and Gala Interactive. During his time at Gala Interactive, he held numerous important positions, including online director, managing director of remote gambling, a management consultant for Eurobet Italia, and marketing and customer operations director. Post the Ladbrokes-Coral merger, he served as the chief marketing officer and MD of sports brands.
Before joining William Hill in 2019, Walker's career spanned a variety of other companies. Initially at William Hill, he served as the online managing director before assuming the mantle of the UK managing director, a role that now includes responsibilities for Ireland as well.
888 Struggling with Revenue Consolidation
It's no secret that 888 has been facing some financial challenges. Just recently, the company reported disappointing results for the last quarter of 2022, despite the World Cup boost. The company attributed the sub-optimal performance to regulatory headwinds in the UK, which negatively impacted their online business.
In the past year, 888's annual revenue from online gambling took a 5% nosedive, while the company's overall revenue for the year saw a 3% decline. Amid these financial hurdles, the company announced that their Chief Financial Officer, Yariv Dafna, will be departing at the end of the fiscal year on March 31.
Amid all this, 888 Holdings welcomed Anna Barsby as their new Chief Product and Technology Officer in December.
As for Walker, he's ready to roll up his sleeves and help 888 William Hill navigate through the challenges and capitalize on opportunities in the thriving gaming industry. Here's wishing him the very best!
- Phil Walker's extensive career in the gaming industry includes roles at Gala Interactive, such as online director, managing director of remote gambling, a management consultant for Eurobet Italia, and marketing and customer operations director.
- Current financial challenges faced by 888, including a 5% decrease in online gambling revenue and a 3% overall revenue decline for the year, have led to their Chief Financial Officer, Yariv Dafna, planning to depart at the end of the fiscal year.
- In an effort to navigate through these challenges and capitalize on opportunities, 888 Holdings recently welcomed Anna Barsby as their new Chief Product and Technology Officer.
- Phil Walker, in his new role as the UK and Ireland Managing Director at 888 William Hill, is eager to leverage his expertise in the industry to help the company succeed in the competitive online gambling market, aided by his networking on platforms like LinkedIn.
