Fitzdares CEO William Woodhams announces departure after seven years

Imago

Fitzdares CEO, William Woodhams, has announced he is stepping down as the boutique bookmaker’s chief executive, stating in a tweet on X that he made the decision after Christmas. Woodhams, who has proven a popular figure within the racing industry, went on to say that his departure would signal the end of his family’s 200-year involvement in racing. 

Fitzdares was founded in 2005 as an exclusive, invitation-only telephone bookmaker. The exclusive service went on to acquire Sunderlands, the oldest bookmaker in the world, and its associated brands. Two years after the acquisition, in 2018, William Woodhams was announced as CEO. 

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Prior to his time at Fitzdares, Woodhams was a board member for five years at Mission and was the CMO of clothing brand French Connection from 2010 to 2012.

A year after Woodhams took his seat, Fitzdares launched its first betting app and, in 2020, it opened an exclusive betting venue in Mayfair. Fitzdares now has exclusive venues in Mayfair, West London and even the Cotswolds. Woodhams has also overseen the launch of Fitzdares in new markets including Canada. 

In 2023, the company, which has gained a reputation through its highly-exclusive invitation-only betting services, launched The Racing App. 

The Racing App was different from the company’s usual products. The news and racing content app was offered free to horseracing fans. At the time of its launch, Woodhams said: “The Racing App is the only app on the market offering all of this entirely free of charge.”

Woodhams became a popular figure in the horse-racing industry thanks to his outspoken views. He has previously discussed the importance of innovation to ensure horse racing continues to enjoy its share of bets. 

In July 2024, he warned that bookmakers may remove markets from British horse racing, and instead further concentrate their efforts on premium sports like football. At the time, Flutter, which owns Paddy Power and other bookmakers, was in dispute with Arc concerning the price bookmakers had to pay the company to stream racing to bookmakers and on the internet. 

Woodhams will stand down from his position as CEO at the end of January. Bringing his seven-year stint to an end, he justified the decision to step down by stating that working in bookmaking is like dog years and that seven years felt more like 70, but he did say that he had loved every second of it. As of yet, Fitzdares has not announced a replacement. 

Woodhams said he is excited to sit on a few boards but that the news sadly brings an end to his family’s 200-year involvement in the racing industry. His mother was a horse-racing journalist, working for Turf newspaper, his grandfather was a professional punter, his uncle worked as a handicapper and was head of the Macau Jockey Club; and his great-uncle was a racing presenter for ITV. 

Horse racing is clearly in Woodhams' blood but, for now, at least, the family will no longer be involved in the sport. 

Woodhams is currently a member of the board of marketing firm Marble and he is also an advisory board member at fundraising company, Givestar.