Betfair hires Tony McAlister as Chief Technology Officer

Veteran of entertainment and e-commerce sectors to join executive leadership team and run global engineering operations.

18th December 2008 — Betfair today announced the appointment of Tony McAlister to the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). McAlister will run Betfair’s 300 person global engineering organisation responsible for enhancing the customer experience, driving innovation and underpinning profitable growth. Tony will officially assume his new role at Betfair on the 19th of January 2009 and report to David Yu, Betfair’s Chief Executive Officer.

A respected industry veteran, McAlister brings more than 25 years of experience running global IT operations for leading corporations. Most recently, McAlister was CTO at FTSE 100 giant Vodafone in London between 2001 and 2005 before moving to the US where he took on the same role at Motricity in North Carolina.

“We are delighted to welcome such an experienced and capable CTO to Betfair. I have no doubt that he is the right person to lead our technology strategy, innovation and delivery into the next chapter of our corporate development, “said David Yu, Betfair, CEO.

“Betfair has demonstrated its ability to turn technology into a strategic business advantage. I look forward to building on this success in my new role working with a talented global team,” McAlister said.

ABOUT BETFAIR:

Betfair is the world’s biggest online betting community and pioneered the first successful betting exchange in 2000. Driven by cutting-edge technology, Betfair enables customers to choose their own odds and bet even after the event has started. The company now processes 5 million transactions a day from its 2 million registered customers. In addition to sports betting, Betfair offers a portfolio of innovative products including casino, exchange games and poker.

Betfair has twice been named the UK’s ‘Company of the Year’ at the Confederation of British Industry’s Emerging Business Awards and remains one of the only betting companies to win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, being recognised for Innovation in 2003 and most recently for International Trade in 2008.

Betfair currently employs over 1,350 people, principally in London, Malta and Tasmania. The company is a licensed betting operator in the UK, and holds licenses in Australia, Germany, Austria, Italy and Malta.