Online gambling operator GVC Holdings PLC has appointed Nick Batram as Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy. The post has been created recently and Mr. Batram’s appointment comes ahead of GVC’s recommended acquisition of fellow gambling company bwin.party digital entertainment plc.
The transaction has been approved by both GVC and bwin.party shareholders and will be completed on February 1, 2016. Mr. Batram’s recruitment follows the appointment of Shay Segev as the gambling company’s new Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Batram is to assume his new post in the second quarter of the year. Prior to his appointment, he served as Head of the Leisure & Gaming Team at Peel Hunt LLP, a London-based company known to be providing various business solutions to different institutions and companies. Over the past 30 years, he has been working in the City of London and has considerable experience from the capital markets’ both buy- and sell-side.
Once the bwin.party acquisition is completed, Mr. Batram will be in charge of the combined entity’s Capital Markets-related activities. He will also be responsible for the new company’s global investor communications program as well as for its further business development and corporate finance.
Commenting on the latest announcement, GVC Holdings CEO Kenny Alexander said that Mr. Batram’s appointment is “another strategic building block” preceding the finalization of the recommended merger. Mr. Alexander further noted that Mr. Batram has in-depth knowledge of the global gambling industry and he will most certainly secure shareholders with “a respected, knowledgeable and transparent first point of contact.”
Following the news about his appointment, Mr. Batram said that he is delighted to join the GVC team as it is one of the best management teams in the gambling sector. The executive further commented that 2016 is going to be the most exciting year for the gambling industry in many years and that he considers GVC’s merger with bwin.party the most compelling one of all deals of this kind that were announced back in 2015.
Headquartered in the Isle of Man, GVC currently operates licenses in the UK, Malta, South Africa, Denmark, and the Dutch Caribbean. It main brands are Betboo, CasinoClub, and Sportingbet. The gambling operator is to pay the amount of £1.1 billion for fellow gaming company bwin.party. Once the transaction is complete, GVC would hold a 33.3% stake in the combined entity.
