With changes often occurring across the igaming business circles, OpenBet, Xace, and the FDJ appear in our latest roundup of recent maneuvers.

Xace

Xace, a provider of player banking solutions, has announced the appointment of Julian Buhagiar as a non-executive director. Julian Buhagiar is an igaming and fintech investor. Buhagiar, a co-founder of igaming M&A advisory RB Capital, will oversee venture finance and strategic planning for its executive team as it aggressively expands its commercial offerings in 2022.

Xace emphasized Buhagiar’s demonstrated track record with RB Capital and as a founding partner of Malta venture capital firm Yolo Investments, which currently manages €400 million and has invested in 68 companies since its creation.

“I am delighted to welcome someone of Julian’s caliber to Xace. His extensive expertise of the gaming and fintech industries, as well as his intellectual capacity, cannot be exaggerated,” Xace CEO David Hodkinson observed.

Vivo Gaming Inc.

Provider of live casino software Vivo Gaming has bolstered its senior leadership team with the appointment of Martin Hodges as marketing director. He will be responsible for the general direction of all marketing and communication activity for the brand, hoping to maintain its growth trajectory in the regulated European market.

His appointment is one of three new management hires at the company, following the additions of Benjamin Umoren and Herberth Castro as business intelligence manager and product manager, respectively.

“Martin has a strong track record in both marketing and igaming, and we’re convinced his depth of knowledge will be invaluable to everyone, bringing new and inventive ideas to the company,” said Yuval Shochat, COO of Vivo Gaming. We have exciting days ahead of us at Vivo Gaming; these new additions demonstrate our future ambition, and we’re happy to welcome all of our new team members.”

Beter

Beter has named a new chief revenue officer to supervise the company’s market expansion plans through 2022. Yori Arami will take on the post. According to the firm, the new hire’s ‘commercial acumen’ is ‘critical’ for its expansion objectives and for establishing itself as the supplier of choice’ for next-generation gaming devices.

Arami will be responsible for coordinating various commercial activities, including sales, business development, account management, pre-and post-sale services, partnership development, and optimization.

Arami commented about the post, “Since arriving, I’ve been pleased by the staff’s can-do attitude, their drive to lead the market, and the company’s clear culture and team spirit.” It was a simple decision, and I’m honored to be a part of it.

“My immediate goal at Beter is to leverage my experience, share my knowledge, and lead the commercial team in building on the company’s current success while also driving development through the launch of innovative products, expanding the client base, and expanding into new markets worldwide.”

OpenBet

OpenBet has bolstered its executive leadership ranks in anticipation of significant changes for the sports betting technology and platform provider. Florian Diederichsen, a technology industry veteran, has joined the organization as CTO, responsible for expanding the group’s modular platform and driving the group’s next cycle of betting innovations.

“I’m thrilled to have joined OpenBet and look forward to the next phase of my career,” Diederichsen said of his appointment to the OpenBet executive team.

“Behind the scenes, work is already happening to revolutionize the future of sports betting entertainment, and I cannot wait to share our cutting-edge innovations with the industry.”

FDJ

Groupe FDJ, the operating business of Française des Jeux, France’s national lottery operator, announced Isabelle Bastien’s appointment as group chief commercial officer. Bastien has been appointed to the FDJ executive committee and is responsible for the sales force activities and B2B trade marketing teams of the Paris Euronext gambling business.

She will lead FDJ’s commercial development as the gaming business seeks to rescue me from the uninterrupted operation of its French lottery network following two years of COVID-19 restrictions that harmed the group’s post-Paris IPO performance.