William Hill appoints Ruth Prior as CFO

William Hill appoints Ruth Prior as CFO

30 March 2017

William Hill PLC (LSE: WMH) (William Hill or the Group), one of the world's leading betting and gaming companies, today announces that Ruth Prior will be appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective later in the year. Ruth is currently Chief Operating Officer (COO) and was previously Deputy CFO of Worldpay, a global leader in payments processing technology and solutions.

CEO Philip Bowcock said: "Ruth is a strong addition to the William Hill Board and Executive team. Her experience in digital operations, online payments and finance is all highly relevant to our strategic priorities to deliver an even better customer experience and faster growth. We welcome her to the William Hill team."

Ruth Prior said: "I am excited to be joining William Hill at a time when there are clear opportunities both to grow the business inside the UK and to expand our position on the international stage. I'm looking forward to working with the team to deliver the digital expertise, operational efficiencies and technology platform that will underpin the Group's further growth."

Ruth Prior joined Worldpay in October 2013 as Deputy CFO and was subsequently appointed COO in December 2016. She was previously Group CFO of EMI Group and, prior to that, worked for the private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners as a finance director, working across numerous portfolio businesses with a focus on strategic and operational transformation. Earlier in her career she worked at Whitbread and Bass, after starting her career at Unilever. Ruth has a degree in Biochemistry and is a Chartered Management Accountant.

Other disclosures 

The following disclosures are made in accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.13R. Ruth was appointed as a Non-executive Director and Senior Independent Director of Pinewood Group Limited, formerly Pinewood Group plc, between 27 November 2012 and 5 October 2016. Pinewood Group plc was acquired and delisted from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) with effect from 5 October 2016. As noted above, Ruth was previously the Chief Financial Officer at EMI Group Ltd. In 2011, as part of a corporate restructuring at the EMI Group, the business underwent an administration process. There is no other information required to be disclosed under Listing Rule 9.6.13R. 

Ruth Prior does not currently have an interest in any ordinary shares of William Hill PLC.

The key elements of Ruth's ongoing remuneration, which is consistent with the Directors' Remuneration Policy are as follows: on appointment her annual base salary will be £425,000; she will receive a pension allowance of 20% of base salary; she will be eligible to participate in the Annual Performance Bonus Plan up to a maximum of 150% of base salary per annum; and she will participate in the Group's Long Term Incentive Plan at the later of the grant date (delayed to later in 2017) or her commencing employment. Ruth held a number of share incentives under various Worldpay incentive plans. In line with the approved Directors' Remuneration Policy, replacement awards form part of the recruitment remuneration. Details of the agreed compensation and replacement awards in William Hill shares will be provided following an assessment of the performance of Worldpay, and hence the value foregone, no later than the next Directors' Remuneration Report in 2017.

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William Hill, The Home of Betting, is one of the world's leading betting and gaming companies, employing around 16,000 people. Founded in 1934, it is one of the UK's largest bookmakers with around 2,375 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 the 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, established through the acquisition of two businesses in 2013. It offers sports betting products online, by telephone and via mobile devices. William Hill PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The Group generates revenues of c£1.6bn a year.