Board & Management

Marcus Rich

Non-Executive Chair

Key strengths and expertise:

Extensive digital publishing industry leadership experience
Considerable knowledge of capital markets and global media industry

Marcus is an experienced Chair and Chief Executive with deep knowledge of the global media, publishing and marketing sectors gained from over 30 years of senior leadership experience. Most recently, he was CEO at TI Media from March 2014 to May 2020 prior to the sale to Future plc. Previously, he was at Associated Newspapers for five years in the roles of Commercial Director and Managing Director Mail On Sunday. Preceding this, Marcus worked at EMAP for 16 years, during which time he held the role of Group Managing Director of EMAP Lifestyle Magazines and EMAP Advertising and also ran the company’s Australian and US businesses. Marcus was also formerly a Group Account Director at McCann Erickson and ran Optimus Communication.

Committee membership:

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee

Other current appointments:

Non-Executive Chairman at Digitalbox plc

David King

Chief Executive Officer

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Key strengths and expertise:

Broad media and digital publishing industry experience
Strong leadership and financial expertise

David is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with extensive leadership and financial expertise. He joins the Group having held a number of senior Executive roles in companies across the media sector, most recently as CEO at JPIMedia Group. During his tenure there, David led the business through a period of considerable change including a ‘digital acceleration programme’ to drive the publisher’s commercial strategy. Prior to this, he served as CEO of Timeout Group and CFO of BBC Worldwide (now BBC Studios). In his early career, David spent time as a Management Consultant at PwC working with a number of blue-chip clients. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Other current appointments:

None

Caroline Ackroyd

Chief Financial Officer

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Key strengths and expertise:

Strong finance leadership background
Substantial knowledge of the gaming and leisure sectors

Caroline is an experienced CFO and Board Director with a track record of successful value creation. Most recently, Caroline held the role of Chief Financial Officer and sat on the board at Jaywing plc, an AIM-listed integrated marketing agency and consulting business. Caroline was responsible for the management of finance, HR, facilities and technology, and also assumed the responsibilities of Company Secretary. Prior to this, Caroline held the role of Chief Financial Officer from 2018 to 2020 at Push Doctor, a provider of online GP services; Director of Commercial Finance from 2014 to 2018 with Sky Betting and Gaming; Finance Director from 2012-2014 for Coral Interactive (a subsidiary of Gala Coral Group); and several finance leadership roles with BSkyB from 2004 to 2012.

Other current appointments:

None

Nigel Leigh

Chief Information Officer

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Nigel has a strong track record of building consumer-first, digital products using data and analytics to grow revenues and develop audiences for major publishing companies. Nigel was previously Chief Digital Officer and sat on the executive management team at JPIMedia where he spearheaded a fundamental reshaping of the media organisation’s digital assets, structures and commercial propositions – including rebuilding the entire technology stack as well as successfully delivering new revenue streams. Prior to his role at JPIMedia, Nigel worked for The Telegraph Media Group where he played a major role in its successful turnaround and digital transformation. At XLMedia, he brings strong experience in creating value through change, technology and data-driven analytics.

Kevin Duffey

President of XLMedia North America

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Kevin is a successful entrepreneur and experienced business leader with deep sports media expertise. As founder of Saturday Football Inc., acquired by XLMedia in 2021, he built and led one of the largest independent digital sports media brands in the US college sports market. During his tenure, Kevin was responsible for business strategy, operation, M&A negotiations and commercial partnerships. He has created memorable 360-sponsorship marketing programs working with significant brands including Bud Light, Texas Pete, Dodge Ram, Toyota and Hilton Hotels. He started his career with Accenture in technology and analytics, and later worked in management and sales in the travel and experiences sector.

Ory Weihs

Non-Executive Director

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Key strengths and expertise:

Extensive knowledge of XLMedia having founded the business
Significant understanding of performance marketing

Ory co-founded XLMedia and served as CEO from 2008 to 2019, prior to which he worked across all areas of the business as it successfully scaled from the affiliate network he first established in 2003. He brings considerable entrepreneurial and digital business leadership experience. Ory is also the founder of Team Odeon, a performance marketing company focused on higher education. He is an active investor and advisor to companies operating in SAAS, Gaming and performance marketing.

Other current appointments:

Founder, Team Odeon
Non-Executive Director, Mews

Cédric Boireau

Non-Executive Director

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Key strengths and expertise:

Significant experience in both public and private markets
Considerable knowledge of the online gambling industry

Cédric has worked with SAS Premier Investissement for over nine years, initially in the company’s listed real estate development subsidiary Bassac where he worked for five years. In 2017, he co-founded Lagune Holding, an investment advisor and worked closely with Premier Investissement to develop its asset management arm and help it invest in listed companies. Cédric is the appointed representative of Premier Investissement, XLMedia’s largest shareholder.

Other current appointments:

Member of the surveillance committee of SAS Bayard Holding
Non-Executive Director, Kindred Group plc

Karen Tyrrell

Chief People & Operations Officer

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Karen is an experienced CPO and operational leader with a proven track record of delivering people-centric change and business transformation. She joins the Company having held a range of senior leadership roles across the sports betting and gaming sector, most recently at Flutter UK&I as the Chief People Officer. During her 16-year tenure in the industry, she led multiple award-winning programmes that addressed workforce stability and engagement. She also supported the business in conducting operational reviews, M&A integrations and strategy implementation. Prior to this, Karen held senior positions in finance and operations including Managing Director of Transformation Flutter UK&I, MD People & Culture at Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG), Director of Transformation SBG and Deputy Finance Director SBG.

Julie Markey

Independent Non-Executive Director

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Key strengths and expertise:

Significant experience in people strategy across international organisations
Considerable knowledge of large-scale consumer businesses

Julie brings a wealth of experience across all facets of Human Resources strategy and development on an international scale, gained from over 30 years of senior leadership experience. Most recently, Julie was Group People Director at Ocado plc, where she was responsible for implementing their global people strategy and served on the management committee. Previously, she has held senior leadership roles at Tesco plc and Diageo.

Committee membership:

Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

Other current appointments:

None

Elizabeth Carter

Chief Marketing Officer

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Elizabeth is an accomplished corporate leader with extensive media, marketing and strategy expertise. Her professional background includes large corporations and hyper-growth start-ups with an emphasis on brand strategy, content creation, commercial partnerships and prioritizing growth opportunities. She has a successful track record of ensuring all marketing and communication efforts drive shareholder value, commercial reward and audience growth. Prior to her time at XLMedia, Elizabeth held senior positions in media organizations including Paramount, MTV, CNN and Culture Trip. In her career, she has led multiple award-winning initiatives and overseen brand and sales efforts across all mediums and platforms.

Peter McCall

General Counsel and Company Secretary

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Previously Company Secretary and Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs at JPIMedia, one of the UK’s largest news publishing groups, Peter has extensive legal advisory and company secretarial experience in the media sector. At JPIMedia (formerly Johnston Press plc) he was responsible for the delivery of acquisitions, the implementation of various corporate refinancings and restructurings, and was a member of an executive team which delivered a programme of digital development during a period of profound change for news publishers. More recently, he was Director of Corporate Legal at the Telegraph Media Group having previously assisted professional services group Xeinadin to secure external financing to deliver its growth plans.