Flutter Entertainment names replacement for Conor Grant as UK & Ireland CEO

Flutter Entertainment’s UK and Ireland chief executive Conor Grant will step down from his role before the end of this year, handing the reins to former Booking.com SVP Ian Brown.

Grant is leaving Flutter for a planned career break to spend more time with his family after more than 20 years in the online gambling sector, including 12 years at Sky Betting and Gaming, which was acquired by Flutter Entertainment in 2020 as a part of the acquisition of The Stars Group.

Following the acquisition, Grant assumed the role of chief executive of Flutter’s UK and Ireland division, which includes the Paddy Power, Sky Betting and Gaming, Betfair and Tombola brands in those markets.

“I have been immensely proud to lead the UK&I business through such a momentous period for both Flutter and the wider industry,” said Grant. “Flutter’s market leading brands, talented team and approach to safer gambling are what sets the business apart. I have no doubt that the business is in good hands and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow sustainably and responsibly into the future.”

Grant will assist in the transition to Brown, who most recently served as CEO of hosting provider UKFast after more than seven years as senior vice president at Booking.com and chief executive of its Rentalcars.com and BookingGo division.

“I would like to thank Conor for his significant contribution to Flutter,” said chairman Peter Jackson. “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 customers’ safety at the heart of what we do has anchored our industry-leading Play Well strategy. 

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Conor and will personally miss his sound commercial judgement and keen eye for business opportunities. I’m sorry to see him leave but wish him well for the future.”

“I am delighted to welcome a leader of Ian’s calibre to our executive team,” Jackson added. “He brings with him broad experience leading online businesses from a range of sectors, including travel, hospitality, business services, and financial services. He has been responsible for successful transformations in multiple large businesses, including global brands Booking.com and Rentalcars.com, building scalable tech platforms and organisations with a deep customer focus on ease, accessibility and safety to drive growth.”

Commenting on his appointment, Brown said: “I have followed the impressive story of Flutter and its brands for many years now, and I am delighted to be joining the UK&I business in September. Flutter has a fantastic portfolio of iconic brands and I look forward to helping develop their leadership position in the online entertainment space.”

Shares in Flutter Entertainment plc. (LSE:FLTR) were trading 1.78 per cent higher at 8,006.00 pence per share in London Tuesday morning.