Appointment of James Henderson as Chief Executive

WILLIAM HILL APPOINTS JAMES HENDERSON AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

4 July 2014

The Board of William Hill PLC (LSE: WMH) (William Hill or the Group) is pleased to announce the appointment of James Henderson as Chief Executive Officer of the Group, effective from 1 August 2014. He is appointed to the Board as CEO Designate with immediate effect.

James Henderson has been with the Group for 29 years and is currently Group Director, Operations, with oversight for the UK Retail business, Online, William Hill Australia and William Hill US. He will take over as Chief Executive from Ralph Topping who is standing down on 31 July 2014 after 44 years with the Group and six as Chief Executive.

Gareth Davis, Chairman, commented: "After an extensive and thorough review of both internal and external applicants, the Board is delighted to appoint James Henderson to the CEO role. His breadth of knowledge spans the whole Group, having worked in both the major divisions, overseen the establishment of William Hill US and, most recently, taken responsibility for William Hill Australia. His established relationships, both with the strong cadre of senior managers and within the wider industry, ensure he is the best person both to sustain the momentum William Hill has achieved under Ralph and to progress further the digital and international diversification of the Group.

"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Ralph for his 44 years of service to William Hill and his exceptional contribution and achievements. As Chief Executive, he has provided strong leadership and direction during challenging times, built a market leading digital business, extended the Group's international footprint and established a strong management team capable of sustaining that growth over the coming years."

James Henderson commented: "I am both delighted and excited to be taking on the leadership of William Hill during its 80th anniversary. Under Ralph as Chief Executive, the Group is in the best competitive shape I have ever known and he has created, in my view, an unrivalled team with an outstanding track record. Whilst we face challenges as an industry, there are also plenty of opportunities to keep strengthening William Hill by further diversifying our revenues and continuing to build a responsible, sustainable business."

Ralph Topping added: "I have enjoyed working with James for many years and am pleased to have appointed him to various important operational roles in that time. It is great to have seen him progress up through the business to the point of taking on the big job, the role of Chief Executive. As a "one company man" I am naturally a big supporter of William Hill and its people, so I really wish James and the rest of our management team all the success in the world in continuing to take the Company forward."

Statutory and other disclosures

James Henderson

In accordance with the Listing Rules, there are no additional matters that would require disclosure under LR 9.6.13 R (1) to (6) in relation to Mr Henderson's appointment.

Mr Henderson's service contract, remuneration and benefits will be consistent with the Company's current Directors' Remuneration Policy as set out in the Directors' Remuneration Report which appears in the Company's 2013 Annual Report & Accounts. He will receive a base salary of £550,000 per annum with effect from 4 July 2014 and will be eligible to participate in the Company's annual bonus plan, Executive Bonus Matching Scheme and the Performance Share Plan. For 2014, any annual bonus plan award for Mr Henderson will be pro-rated to reflect his respective time period as the Group Director, Operations and as the CEO. As Mr Henderson is required to relocate in order to take up the appointment, he will receive a relocation allowance, full details of which will be included in the Directors' Remuneration Report in respect of 2014.

The interests of James Henderson in the Company's Share Schemes are as follows:

All of the above awards were made prior to James Henderson being appointed a Director of William Hill PLC. In the above table, 'EBMS' refers to the Executive Bonus Matching Scheme; 'PSP' refers to the Performance Share Plan; and 'SAYE' refers to the Save As You Earn Sharesave Scheme. These awards have not vested and are subject to either the satisfaction of performance conditions, the completion of a deferral period or, in the case of the SAYE, the completion of a savings contract.

James Henderson has an interest in 63,038 Shares in his own name, equivalent to less than 0.1% of the Company's issued share capital.

Ralph Topping

Under the terms of Ralph Topping's service contract, the Company is required to give Mr Topping 12 months' notice and this started on 3 July 2014 (the 'notice period'). Mr Topping will remain an employee during the notice period and will be available to provide advice and guidance as required. During the notice period, Mr Topping will receive his current base salary of £650,000 and will retain his current benefits.

In respect of the annual performance bonus, Mr Topping is participating in the annual bonus plan as described in the Directors' Remuneration Report which appears in the Company's 2013 Annual Report & Accounts. Given that Mr Topping is retiring after a distinguished service to the Company, the Remuneration Committee has agreed to treat Mr Topping as a 'good leaver'. As such, the Remuneration Committee will consider Mr Topping for a bonus based on achievement of performance criteria, pro-rated up to 31 July 2014. The final determination of any bonus award will be made as usual after the current financial year end.

Mr Topping participates in the Executive Bonus Matching Scheme (EBMS) and the Performance Share Plan (PSP), which are also described in the Company's 2013 Annual Report & Accounts. The Remuneration Committee has also agreed to consider Mr Topping as a 'good leaver' and as such, the following applies in respect of outstanding awards:

· in respect of the PSP, any vesting will be subject to the relevant performance conditions and will vest on the original vesting dates set for each grant, subject to the relevant plan rules. Any award which has not completed the respective performance period at the end of the notice period will be subject to pro rating in accordance with the respective plan rules;

· in respect of the EBMS, awards will be released over their normal cycle.

The above arrangements for Mr Topping are consistent with the Directors' Remuneration Policy. Further information in respect of Directors' pay, incentives and benefits is contained in the Directors' Remuneration report which, inclusive of the Remuneration Policy, was approved by shareholders at the Company's Annual General Meeting held on 8 May 2014.

The current interests of Ralph Topping in the Company's Share Schemes are as follows:

Mr Topping currently holds 275,619 ordinary shares in the Company, equivalent to less than 0.1% of the Company's issued share capital.

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A video interview with Chairman Gareth Davis and CEO Designate James Henderson is available at www.williamhillplc.com and video.merchantcantos.com.

About William Hill

William Hill, The Home of Betting, is one of the world's leading betting and gaming companies, employing more than 17,000 people. Founded in 1934, it is now the UK's largest bookmaker with around 2,430 licensed betting offices that provide betting opportunities on a wide range of sporting and non-sporting events, gaming on machines and numbers-based products including lotteries. The Group's Online business (www.williamhill.com) is one of world's leading online betting and gaming businesses, providing customers with the opportunity to access William Hill's products online, through their smartphone or tablet, by telephone and by text services. William Hill US was established in June 2012 and provides land-based and mobile sports betting services in Nevada, and is the exclusive risk manager for the State of Delaware's sports lottery. William Hill Australia is one of the largest online betting businesses in Australia after the Group acquired the Sportingbet Australia business in March 2013 and tomwaterhouse.com in August 2013, two of the leading online corporate bookmakers in Australia, offering sports betting products online, by telephone and via mobile devices. William Hill PLC has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2002. The Group generates revenues of c£1.5bn a year.

About James Henderson

James Henderson joined William Hill in 1985 as Trainee Manager and progressed through the Retail management ranks to become Operations Director for the Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) in 2006. In 2009, he moved to Gibraltar as Operations Director for William Hill Online in Gibraltar, overseeing the Operational and Telephone betting teams. In 2011, he became Retail Director, UK and International, responsible for the LBOs and William Hill US. He was promoted to Group Director of Operations in 2014 when he took on additional oversight responsibility for William Hill Australia and Online. Mr Henderson holds personal gambling licences in the UK, in Nevada in the US and in the Northern Territory in Australia.