Betfred announced that Joanne Whittaker will become the operator’s CEO from next month. Whittaker is currently a non-executive director at Betfred and will take office on April 6, while the founder, Fred Done, will continue as president.
The new CEO will take over Done’s leadership role after heading the IT (information technology) division before leaving the Warrington-based bookmaker in 2005.
With the help of an investment of £ 100,000 from Done, Whittaker founded daycare coupon provider Fideliti, which had a turnover of more than £ 80 million in 2019.
According to the information, Whittaker became Done’s favorite choice for his succession, after being asked to examine a number of his businesses.
In addition, Done reportedly told his team that the appointment was part of the group’s strategic planning. Joanne Whittaker will work closely with COO Mark Stebbings to lead the company.
Done, who founded Betfred in 1967, took over as CEO after John Haddock left the post in 2016.
About Betfred
Betfred is a British bookmaker. The name came from the combination of two words. The term bets in English (Bet) and Fred, named after one of the company’s founders, Fred Done.
At first, the company started with just one store still in the 1960s in Ordsall, Salford, in the Greater Manchester region in northwest England.
The business was founded in 1967 under the name Done Bookmakers and was renamed ‘Betfred’ only years later, in 2004.
Today, the bookmaker has more than 1600 stores in the UK and has an online brand operating in Gibraltar, which offers a complete portfolio of online and mobile betting and games.
