William Hill board to promote Philip Bowcock to Group CEO

The Financial Times has reported that William Hill governance will announce the promotion of Chief Financial Officer and ‘interim’ CEO Philip Bowcock to the corporate leadership position of Group Chief Executive this Friday.

Bowcock who joined the FTSE operator in November 2015 from UK Cinema chain Cineworld Group, has been acting as interim William Hill leader following the departure of James Henderson last July.

William Hill governance is expected to confirm its leadership appointment this Friday along with the firms ‘full-year’ 2016 financial statement. William Hill’s board has faced stakeholder criticism for its lengthy nine-month search in finding a new leader, with UK news sources reporting that the firm had been rebuffed by a number of candidates.

Industry analysts and William Hill investors are eagerly awaiting the report, as William Hill governance is expected to further detail the firm’s recovery plan amid a well-documented decline in its digital verticals.

Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding William Hill’s ability to compete within the saturated UK betting market, which is now home to the merged FTSE enterprises of Paddy Power Betfair, Ladbrokes-Coral and GVC Holdings.

The potential sale of William Hill hit business headlines this February, with London hedge fund Parvus Asset Management the operator’s biggest shareholder (14%) publicly stating that it wanted to push for a 2017 sale of the company.

Should  Philip Bowcock be appointed William Hill leader this Friday, he is likely taking on the toughest job in the industry!