Wilkins brings a wealth of experience, spanning 17 years in CFO roles across both private and public companies.
Most recently, he served as the group CFO of Superbet, a betting and gaming business with operations primarily across Romania, Poland, Serbia and Belgium.
Before his tenure at Superbet, Wilkins held CFO positions at several consumer-facing businesses, including Big Bus Tours, Domino’s Pizza Group PLC, Tesco Malaysia, Tesco Telecom, and O2 Asia.
In the intervening period, Dafna will hand over his responsibilities to 888 chief strategy officer Vaughan Lewis, who will take on the role of interim CFO.
Commenting on Wilkin’s appointment, 888 executive chair Lord Mendelsohn stated: “The board is delighted to announce the appointment of Sean as the group’s new CFO following a thorough search process.
“In addition to having an in-depth understanding of the betting and gaming industry, Sean brings a wealth of relevant experience gained in CFO roles at international businesses, where he has demonstrated a strong track record of value creation.”
An extended stay
Mendelsohn further thanked Dafna for his significant contributions to the business over the last three years, including his role in completing the integration of William Hill’s European operations into the business.
He also credited Dafna for maintaining stability in recent months while 888 was in the process of searching for a permanent successor.
Dafna had originally intended to leave the company in March 2023.
However, he extended his tenure at the end of January when Itai Pazner left the CEO position with immediate effect following an internal compliance investigation.
The investigation revealed that the company had not adhered to Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) protocols for VIP customers in the Middle East.
Wilkins said of his appointment: “Having worked in the regulated online betting and gaming industry over recent years, I have followed 888 closely.
“Following its transformational acquisition of William Hill, the group has all the ingredients for long-term success: outstanding brands, technology and people.
“The board has set out very clear plans to create significant shareholder value, and I am really looking forward to being part of the leadership team to deliver these plans and achieve the group’s clear potential,” he added.
