Exclusive: Former Paddy Power exec Johnny Hartnett named new Superbet CEO
Hartnett will start his new role at the operator on Monday as current chief exec Sacha Dragic switches to board role
Former Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) executive Johnny Hartnett has been appointed CEO of Superbet following a raft of management changes at the CEE-focused operator, EGR can reveal.
Hartnett, who was most recently chief development officer at PPB, will take up his new role on Monday (12 August) having been on gardening leave since July 2018 following PPB’s acquisition of FanDuel.
He replaces current CEO Sacha Dragic amid a host of wider management changes in recent months which included the appointments of a new COO, CFO and chief commercial officer.
Current chief exec Dragic will remain on the Superbet board which currently consists of his long-term business partner Roland Haas and former William Hill CEO Ralph Topping.
Members of Blackstone, which recently invested £150m in the operator, also sit on the Superbet board.
Johnny Hartnett will be the new CEO of Superbet from Monday 12 August
Speaking exclusively to EGR, Hartnett said he had long been impressed with the Superbet business and thought the CEE region presented significant growth opportunities.
“I’ve spent a significant amount of time focused on CEE and recognised the strong growth potential of Superbet and a number of its regional competitors,” Hartnett said.
He added: “The markets are fully regulated, have headroom for further digital penetration and have a number of competitive advantages that favour incumbents, which combined make them attractive.
“The opportunity to work with a strong brand and team and someone with the vision and ambition of Sacha also made it an easy decision to join. Subsequent to the investment from Blackstone, the business is well capitalised and has the right partner in place to take the business to the next level.”
Harnett had worked at PPB since 1999 when he joined Paddy Power’s trading team before going on to hold a number of senior positions including managing director international and managing director Paddy Power Online.
He also worked within PPB’s Australian business Sportsbet for nearly seven years.
Hartnett is joined on Superbet’s executive team by several new appointments in recent months, including chief commercial officer Marcello Magaletti, group CFO Ilan Rosen and COO Dragos Dinu.