Business: Ross to retire from Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes PLC announced last week that corporate development director Alan Ross will not stand for re-election in May. He will instead retire from the company July 19, 2009.

Ross began his 37-year career at Ladbrokes in 1971 as part of its shop staff in Dundee, Scotland. He rose to become head of the company's Ladbrokes Casinos and Ladbrokes International Betting operations and became its managing director of retail in 2000. In 2006, he joined Ladbroke's board of directors after the company sold its hotel arm to Hilton Hotels. He relinquished control of the company's U.K. sports-betting shops in 2007.

Ross is best known as one of the U.K. sports-betting giant's toughest negotiators, once following a fellow negotiator into an elevator to broker a deal after the other man had called off talks.

"Alan has made an enormous contribution to Ladbrokes and the betting and gaming industry," Ladbrokes CEO Chris Bell said. "He played a major role in developing the business from the introduction of live pictures into betting shops through Silicon Integrated Systems in 1986, to the introduction of fixed-odds betting terminals in 1998. And he played a significant part in our major acquisitions and disposals across the globe."

Bell noted that Ross will continue working for Ladbrokes as a consultant, saying, "We are very pleased he will continue to provide his advice and wise counsel to us moving forward, and we are very grateful for his dedication."

According to the Northhampton Chronicle, Towcester Racecourse CEO Chris Palmer will replace Ross as corporate development director in February. Ladbrokes' managing director of U.K. and Ireland retail, Richard Ames, will also join the company's board of directors in January.

- Phill Provance
phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org

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26-Dec-2008, 18:47

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