Vlad Kaltenieks Becomes New BoyleSports CEO
Leading sports betting industry expert Vlad Kaltenieks as of 23/12/2022, announced that he will be taking up the position of CEO at BoyleSports in early 2023. The CEO position at BoyleSports has been vacant since February 2022 when Mark Kemp left the company only after 10 months of being at the helm. Kemp went on to become the first CEO of DAZN Bet, a sports streaming service founded in the UK in August.
A highly experienced professional, Kaltenieks comes from a strong sports betting and gaming background, having previously worked as Global Director of Data, Analytics and Digital at William Hill. His responsibilities included the UK Online, Retail, US, and International divisions of the sports betting operator. Kaltenieks also held the position of Director of Digital and Data at Betsson Group.
Speaking about the new CEO, BoyleSports Founder John Boyle praised Kaltenieks industry know-how and leadership within the competitive gaming industry:
“Vlad will bring to bear exceptional expertise in using digital technologies to drive innovation and in the use of focussed marketing to deliver growth. Having worked almost exclusively in highly-regulated environments he also brings with him particular experience in adapting to regulatory changes.”
Despite having operated without a CEO for 10 months, BoyleSports has not slowed down its development and expansion. The sports betting platform continues to hold the position of the largest independent Irish bookmaker with over 350 physical locations in its portfolio and over 2,500 people employed. The online side of the business is also thriving, and BoyleSports features on the betfree.ie list of top 10 Irish bookmakers with its “Get €50 in free bets” introductory offer for new customers.
Continuing to open new physical locations in the UK and Ireland, BoyleSports strategy is to identify a gap in the market where a combination of factors such as location, wider area, and the presence of competitors result in a healthy betting market with demand for an independent bookmaker. Speaking about what makes BoyleSports different, BoyleSports Director of Property and Development Lee Otter said:
“We always seek to provide customers with what they want, whether that is in terms of great physical surroundings […] or our friendly staff and pride in customer service. We believe that it is a combination of all that we offer that differentiates us from other operators, who often respond by upgrading their shops, or improving their trading package, once we open our doors.”
The hire of Kaltenieks comes at a pivotal moment for BoyleSports with recent rumours in the Irish media suggesting that the sports betting provider is seen as an attractive acquisition target and may be considering buyout offers. Indeed, the company has been doing really well in 2022 which saw the implementation of several successful projects in addition to the UK and Ireland expansion. International projects in progress include BoyleSports testing of non-core sports betting markets such as Kenya and South Africa, as well as entry to strong betting markets such as the Netherlands and Canada. Asked for a comment on whether or not it is considering a sale of the business, BoyleSports responded that the business is currently focused on developing its retail and online operations, which was not the definitive “yes” or “no” answer industry experts were interested in.
In any case, Kaltenieks’s experience will come in handy at such a crucial moment for the company. Speaking about his new role, the future BoyleSports CEO said:
“I am deeply honoured to be asked to lead BoyleSports early next year. Over the years the company has grown into a successful business, with its own technology and experienced team, and I am very optimistic for our next chapter.”
The news about Kaltenieks’s hire come amidst a large number of announcements from the UK sports betting industry in what appeared to be a good month for recruitment, expansion, and partnership. Sports betting companies such as William Hill and bet365 have announced new contracts which consolidate their position on the UK sports betting market, and iGaming and gambling software companies such as Altenar, Slotegrator, Evolution, and SIS have been fortunate to expand their businesses in new markets and jurisdictions, while hiring industry-leading experts to fill top vacant positions at the same time. The 2023 World Cup also helped the industry with an influx of new customers and record levels of sports betting, and there is no doubt that BoyleSports has taken advantage of this new business to continue with their planned expansion. 2023 will be an interesting year for the business and its new CEO and we are looking forward to hearing if the BoyleSports sale rumours prove to be true.