Brian Mattingley announces departure as Playtech chair

The chairman of Playtech, Brian Mattingley, has announced that he will step down from his position after three-and-a-half years in the role. 

Egon Zehnder International, the boardroom head-hunter, will be tasked with appointing his replacement, in which they will be looking for someone who can handle stringent corporate governance challenges.  

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Mattingley will leave the London-listed gaming company’s board, bringing an end to a frenetic time for the business, with plenty of pay rows and issues with shareholders over wider corporate governance.  

His most recent challenge came in December, when close to a third of investors rebelled against the €100m (£84m) bonus plan for Mor Weizer, Playtech’s chief executive, alongside other senior executives. 

Despite that, shareholders do credit Mattingley for helping the company navigate a tough time for the gambling industry, with his role in securing the sale of Snaitech, its Italian consumer gambling arm, being one of the key moments. 

That sale generated £1.9bn, and represented a nearly threefold return on Playtech’s initial investment in the business, triggering total returns to shareholders up to of up to £1.5bn, a sum equivalent to all of the special dividends paid by London-listed companies in 2023. That sale will see the company transform into a pure-play business-to-business operation. 

He also played a big role in the revised strategic agreement with Mexican-facing operator Caliente, over their Calipay joint venture, settling a dispute between the two sides.  

During Mattingley’s tenure at Playtech, shares in the company have risen by 60%. 

Mattingley is also the former chairman and chief executive of 888, who are now known as Evoke, while also being a founding director of Gala Leisure.  

Speaking on his decision, Mattingley said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as chair of Playtech and to help steward the company through an important phase of growth and transition.”  

“I am proud of the milestones we have achieved as Playtech prepares to embark on a new chapter as a predominantly pure-play B2B business. 

“It is with that in mind that I feel now is the right time to step down. I would like to thank my fellow board members, the leadership team and, above all, the wider Playtech family for their passion and commitment.” 

Playtech CEO Mor Weizer added: “Brian has been an outstanding chair, offering invaluable guidance, constructive challenge and unwavering dedication to the team during a time of significant transformation at Playtech. 

“We have benefitted enormously from his strong relationships across the industry and his depth of knowledge and experience. His presence on the board will be greatly missed and we wish him the very best.” 

This is not the only move on the Playtech board, with the company restructuring several of its committees, coming into effect from 1 March. 

The Regulatory & Compliance and the Sustainability & Public Policy committees will be merged, stating that it will provide combined oversight of those areas.  

Playtech non-executive director Linda Marston-Weston will chair the new committee, alongside senior independent director Ian Penrose and non-executive director Samy Reeb as ordinary members. 

Reeb will also lead the remuneration committee after current chair and non-executive director Anna Maisson announced her departure, with the company looking to appoint a new non-executive director in due course.