Online gambling operator PointsBet Holdings announced a significant personnel appointment, with current CEO of Australian operations Andrew Catterall set to become the Group CEO starting February 1 next year. This marks a new phase in the global leadership after the company was acquired by Japan's MIXI Group, becoming its major shareholder.
The veteran retires from active duty and moves to the board to continue contributing strategies
Catterall will replace Sam Swanell, who has been the Group CEO and Managing Director since July 2016. Swanell is considered one of the "founders" of PointsBet, having accompanied the company through various critical periods from its establishment to development. According to the company's plans, after the transition period, Swanell will become a Group Advisor and continue to serve as an Executive Director on the company's board. Brett Paton, the Chairman of the Board, highly praised his years of leadership and contributions, marking a perfect end to this extended tenure as CEO.
New leader Andrew Catterall: A cross-industry veteran in media and sports
The incoming Group CEO Andrew Catterall is not new to the gambling industry. He has been in charge of PointsBet's Australian operations since July 2022, which is over two years now, during which the company says he led an "operational transformation." Before joining PointsBet, Catterall's career was quite diverse and seasoned: he served as CEO of the horse racing media platform Racing.com, as well as the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at Racing Victoria, and even handled strategy and marketing at the Australian Football League (AFL). Earlier, he was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). This background spanning media, sports, and strategic consulting is likely why the PointsBet board sees him as key to leading the company into the "next stage."
The first major personnel layout after the controlling shareholder MIXI took over
This CEO change is the latest major adjustment following the acquisition of PointsBet by the Japanese mobile internet company MIXI through its Australian subsidiary, which completed the acquisition offer in September, obtaining 66.43% of the operator's voting rights. In October, the PointsBet board welcomed three new non-executive directors from MIXI. Promoting the well-performing head of Australian operations to the group's top position can be seen as a key step by the controlling shareholder to stabilize the business base and push for strategic execution at the group level. Of course, the acquisition process was not smooth sailing, with competitor Betr Entertainment eventually increasing its stake to 27.72%, becoming an important minority shareholder. Going forward, PointsBet's strategic direction will be led by MIXI, but Betr's voice cannot be ignored. According to PASA's official website industry observations, stability in leadership and clarity in strategy will be core for PointsBet to handle market competition post-integration.
Ultimately, shareholders value performance and growth. Whether Catterall can replicate his success in the Australian market at the group level and manage the new shareholder structure will be the primary challenge for this new CEO upon taking office.
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