Rank appoints former Ladbrokes executive John O'Reilly as CEO

FTSE 250 gambling company Rank Group has appointed former Ladbrokes executive John O'Reilly as chief executive officer with effect from 7 May, succeeding Henry Birch.

O'Reilly has more than 25 years' experience in the betting and gaming industry, in the UK and internationally. He led and grew Ladbrokes' digital operations and was an executive director on the Ladbrokes board until August 2010.

In 2011, he joined the Gala Coral Group to relaunch the Coral brand online as managing director of Coral Interactive. More recently, he has been chairman of the digital design and development business Grand Parade Limited, a non-executive director of Weatherbys Limited and a non-executive director of William Hill.

He will step down from the William Hill board to take up his position with Rank.

Chairman Ian Burke 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."

Rank also announced the appointment of Alan Morgan, retail managing director, to the board as executive director with effect from 7 May. 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.

Burke said: "With his in-depth understanding of our business, I am confident he will contribute significantly to the future development of Rank."