Camelot is having a major shake-up across its board and management team, including the exit of CEO Nigel Railton.
The changes follow a deal for the incumbent lottery operator to be acquired by Allwyn Group, which was awarded the fourth National Lottery licence in September. Allwyn will take over the licence in February 2024.
Upon the closing of the transaction, which is set to happen in due course, Railton will leave Camelot after 24 years with the company, having served as CEO since 2017.
He joined Camelot as financial controller before going on to become group chief financial officer and strategy director in 2005.
Chairman Hugh Robertson is also due to step down, having been appointed as Camelot’s independent non-executive chairman in 2018. Executive director Matt Ridsdale will also leave the company.
“I am so proud of what we at Camelot have achieved since launching The National Lottery and, in particular, the successes since I took over as CEO,” said Railton. ”I believe we can say with confidence that we delivered on the commitments we made at the time of the strategic review in 2017, and that the plan that we built and executed together has delivered far in excess of what we had forecast.”
Robertson said: “It’s been an enormous privilege to have been Camelot’s chairman. Since 2017, National Lottery sales have grown from £6.9bn to £8.1bn last year. In the first six months of this financial year, Camelot reported the highest-ever first-half returns to good causes in the history of The National Lottery.
“This performance is the result of the commitment of each and every one of my colleagues, to whom I would like to give my heartfelt thanks.
“I would particularly like to thank Nigel for his amazing contribution to Camelot during his 24 years with the organisation and, in particular, for leading the UK business to deliver record performances during his time as CEO. I would like to wish all my colleagues at Camelot all the best for the future.”
Allwyn Group revealed this week that it will appoint Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst, currently chief financial officer and commercial director respectively at Camelot, to take over as co-CEOs at Camelot, which will continue to operate The National Lottery separately from Allwyn UK through to the end of the third licence in January 2024.
Keith Mills is expected to be appointed as the new chair once the acquisition is completed, subject to regulatory approvals.
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