Flutter confirms Dan Taylor as CEO as Allwyn hires new CTO

Dan Taylor formally became Group Chief Executive of Flutter Entertainment on 1 October, taking over from Peter Jackson, who had run the FanDuel owner for almost nine years.

Jackson left the role and the board on 30 September but will stay on as an advisor to the company through the end of 2026. Flutter first disclosed the succession on 5 August alongside its second-quarter results.

The announcement coincided with a sharp fall in Flutter's share price, which closed at $92.91 that day, down 11.5% from $104.96 the previous session. The stock continued to slide, closing at $74.54 on Jackson's final day and at $75.85 on 7 October, roughly 28% below where it traded before the leadership change was revealed, according to SBC Americas.

Taylor joined Flutter more than a decade ago and has held several senior posts, including chief executive of Paddy Power Betfair between 2018 and 2020. He later led Flutter International, a division SBC Americas reports generated more than $9bn in revenue in 2025. He was named Flutter president in May, taking charge of FanDuel in a reshuffle that also saw Amy Howe replaced as FanDuel CEO by Christian Genetski.

Taylor's immediate task is reversing Flutter's loss of ground in the US betting market. "Our priority will be to keep delivering for our colleagues, customers and shareholders, while building on the momentum we've created across the business," he said when his appointment was confirmed.

Flutter has also reshaped its legal team. Edward Traynor became interim Group Chief Legal Officer on 1 October, succeeding Don Liu, who resigned effective 30 September. Traynor has served as Flutter's Group Company Secretary since April 2015, a post he keeps alongside his new duties, and previously spent seven and a half years at Vodafone.

Allwyn has named Fredrik Ögren as its new Group Chief Technology Officer. He arrives after five years as CTO of Betsson Group, where he oversaw technology strategy across the operator's regulated markets. Ögren will report to Kresimir Spajic, chief executive of Allwyn Digital.

Brett Cross, who had held the Group CTO post on an interim basis, has moved to a role created specifically for him, taking charge of technology across Allwyn's global lottery operations as deputy to Ögren.

"Technology plays a critical role in creating great player experiences, enabling innovation and supporting long-term business success," Ögren said of the appointment.

The hire extends a run of senior appointments as Allwyn pushes further into digital products and the North American market. The company set up Allwyn Digital in September 2025 under Spajic, a former Betfred US chief executive, and went on to acquire a 62.3% stake in PrizePicks, a deal that closed in January. Since June it has also installed former Virginia Lottery executive director Khalid Reede Jones as CEO of Allwyn North America, named ex-William Hill executive Phil Walker interim CEO of Allwyn UK, and appointed Francesco Rodano as Group Head of Responsible Gaming.

White Hat Gaming has brought in Leon Thomas as Chief Commercial Officer, giving him responsibility for sales, marketing and partnerships as the platform supplier expands into regulated markets. Chief executive Phil Gelvan said Thomas has worked on both the operator and supplier sides of the industry and "knows exactly what operators need from a platform partner."

Thomas joins from Hard Rock Digital, where he was Vice President International and led expansion into Canada, the Netherlands and Mexico. He has also held roles at Entain, Microgaming, IWG and tombola. White Hat is positioning itself to pick up operators affected by consolidation among platform suppliers, as well as brands launching or growing in regulated markets.

Yggdrasil Gaming has appointed David Hopkins as Chief Transformation Officer, a hire chief executive James Curwen described as bringing "the combination of strategic thinking, operational discipline, and industry experience we need at this stage of our journey." Hopkins previously worked on transformation projects at Flutter and Entain and will now work across Yggdrasil's product, technology, commercial, marketing, finance and legal functions, with the studio shifting its focus from building new technology to scaling and monetising what it already has.