Ian Penrose backs ‘sports disruptor’ DataPOWA as non-exec Chairman

Industry figurehead Ian Penrose the former Chief Executive of London-listed Sportech Plc has backed new AI technology platform DataPOWA, a company seeking to revolutionise sports marketing.

Penrose has become the technology firm’s Non-Executive Chairman, advising the enterprise as it develops its ‘POWA index’, a technology which will deliver global sports its first ‘data-driven real-time sports sponsorship value engine’.

A twenty-year sports, tech and gambling leadership executive, Penrose formerly led Sportech Plc from 2005-2017, transforming the wagering systems provider from a heavily indebted £45 million business to a £225 million valuation by the end of his tenure.

In 2017, Penrose stepped down as Sportech CEO, taking on governance roles as the Chairman of the National Football Museum and becoming a Non-Executive Director of FTSE250 gambling technology Playtech Plc.

Founded in 2016, by sports management executive Michael Flynn, DataPOWA seeks to disrupt the all processes of the traditional sports sponsorship market, developing an AI-sophisticated platform that can analyse 2.4 trillion data points a day, helping spors stakeholders make optimal decisions.

DataPOWA’s Chief Executive, Michael Flynn, said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Ian Penrose to the DataPOWA Board, Ian is a well-known and respected figure within the sports sector and brings a wealth of industry knowledge, both in the UK and USA, to DataPOWA. We are delighted to appoint him Non-Executive Chairman and we look forward to his strategic expertise and board experience helping to accelerate our growth.”

Backing DataPOWA Ian Penrose said: “I am very excited about working with Michael Flynn and the team at DataPOWA. They have bold ambitions  – and I’m confident that their combined understanding of sports and digital will enable their innovative AI technology, POWA index, to become an important business in the sports sponsorship sector.”