DAZN’s John Gleasure set to replace Brian Mattingley in chairman role at Playtech

Playtech have announced the appointment of former DAZN executive John Gleasure as the company’s new independent non-executive director and chairman. 

The announcement confirms that Gleasure will replace Brian Mattingley in the role, following the impending departure of the 73-year-old former-888 boss. 

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Egon Zehnder International, the boardroom recruitment company, were responsible for overseeing the search for Mattingley's successor. 

Speaking about his new role, Gleasure stated: “I am delighted to be joining Playtech at such a pivotal moment in its history. 

“I’m excited about the opportunities ahead, and I look forward to working with everyone at Playtech to drive forward its strategy and create further value for our shareholders.” 

The chairman added in the statement: “We are very pleased to welcome John Gleasure to our board as a new non-executive director and chairman elect,” claimed Mattingley. 

“John’s significant experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset for Playtech as it continues its transformation into a predominantly pure-play B2B business. I look forward to giving him every support during this period of transition.”

Mattingley announced his departure in January and has been in-charge of Playtech since March 2021, and has since had to deal with a turbulent tenure with a number of scandals engulfing the world-renowned gambling software provider, including one about shareholders pay.

In December last year, nearly a third of investors rebelled over a £85m bonus plan package for the company’s chief executive Mor Weizer, and other senior executives in the company.

However, Brian Mattingley did manage to secure the sale of Snaitech, Playtech’s Italian gambling firm for an estimated £1.9bn. That deal received regulatory approval last week and means it represented a near threefold return on Playtech’s initial investment. 

Plus, the share price in the FTSE 250 company has risen 60% during Mattingley’s tenure in the company. 

Incoming chairman Gleasure has more than three decades of experience across a range of companies and sectors. The role he is leaving is the non-executive director of The Sporting News and sports streaming giant DAZN. 

He also founded Perform, a company that provides live data and content to online betting companies. Perform eventually merged with STATS in 2019. Gleasure has also held leadership positions at Sky Sports, Sony and EMI Music.  

It’s rumoured he will earn approximately £140,000 a year as a non-executive director, but that salary will increase when his role as chairman officially begins.