OpenBet’s impending $1.2bn sale to US media giant Endeavor has not prevented the business from strengthening its senior management team.

Parent company Scientific Games struck a deal to sell the sports betting supplier to Beverly Hills-based Endeavor back in September 2021, with the transaction scheduled to complete in Q2 2022.

But it appears to be business as usual for OpenBet, which has today announced the appointment of DAZN’s Florian Diederichsen as its new chief technology officer (CTO).

Diederichsen enjoyed a three-year spell in the same role at DAZN, the sports streaming business currently led by former Entain CEO Shay Segev.

The German will now be tasked with evolving OpenBet’s modular sports product offering and “accelerating the next generation of sports betting entertainment through the use of cutting-edge technologies”.

Diederichsen’s hire is quite the coup for OpenBet, as DAZN is currently exploring how to enter the sports betting industry in combination with its flagship streaming product.

“The ambition shown by the OpenBet team, the quality of the management team truly excites me and I’m ready to raise my game to implement the vision required to take sports betting to a new level,” said Diederichsen.

“Development work is already underway behind the scenes that will revolutionise the future of sports betting entertainment and I cannot wait to share our innovative concepts with the marketplace,” he added.

OpenBet has also secured a second high-profile appointment in Jessica Feil, who for the last 10 months has served as VP of government relations and gaming policy counsel at the American Gaming Association (AGA) while based in Washington.

The former Ifrah Law associate will now take up the role of VP of regulatory affairs and compliance at OpenBet as the business prepares for both domestic and international expansion.

Jordan Levin, CEO of OpenBet, said: “Bringing Florian and Jessica to the OpenBet team changes the game and is testament to the vision we have here at OpenBet.

“The appointment of two highly-skilled and respected individuals demonstrates the ambition we have to deliver the next generation of sports betting entertainment to operators and bettors worldwide.

“As we drive for hyper-differentiation, and with legislation moving at a pace, we can entrust both Florian and Jessica to help take OpenBet forward in their respective fields that will add significant value for our global customer base,” he added.

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