Ladbrokes Group Appoints Former O2 Boss as Chairman

Friday December 12, 2008

In the UK, Ladbrokes International Limited has annnounced that its current Chairman, Sir Ian Robinson, is to step down following its next annual general meeting in May to be replaced by Peter Erskine, the former Chief Executive Officer for O2.

Harrow-based Ladbrokes International Limited is one of the UK's largest gambling providers and operates the Ladbrokes.com family of Ladbrokes Casino, Ladbrokes Poker, Ladbrokes Sportsbook and Ladbrokes Bingo sites.

It stated that under Robinson's leadership it had seen its gross win rise from $740 million eight years ago to $1.92 billion last year while also extending its retail presence to Italy and Spain along with establishing itself as a world-leading provider of online betting and gaming services.

"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Sir Ian for his valuable contribution over the past eight years," said Christopher Bell, Chief Executive Officer for Ladbrokes Limited.

Ladbrokes revealed that Erskine had also served as a board member for Spain's Telefonica SA and will join its management board as a Non-Executive Director on January 1 before taking over from Robinson in May.

"Peter Erskine's extensive international marketing background and experience of building brand-led businesses will be a big plus for the company," said Bell.

"He was responsible for the transformation of O2, the ex-BT wireless business, into a leading provider of mobile services in Europe and helped create considerable shareholder value. We are very pleased to welcome Peter Erskine to the board and as future Chairman.'

"Ladbrokes is a world leader in the global betting and gaming market and has clear opportunities for international growth including through its market-leading interactive channels," said Erskine.

"I look forward to playing a role in the further development of the business."