Playtech

Flutter Entertainment-owned Sisal has appointed Sian Carson as chief people officer.

Prior to joining Sisal, Carson spent three years working in HR functions at the Flutter group level.

These roles included serving as the chief people officer for group functions and as the talent director at Flutter International.

She will be tasked with supporting Sisal’s expansion in Italy but also in various international markets including Morocco, Turkey, Albania, and Tunisia.

Flutter agreed to acquire the Milan-based company in a €1.91bn deal in December 2021.

“I am very happy about Sian joining the company’s leadership team,” commented Sisal CEO Francesco Durante. 

“I am convinced that with her support we will further strengthen our ability to drive Sisal’s growth in Italy and abroad, investing in the centrality of people and skills that are fundamental for an increasingly sustainable, digital and international company.”

Carson began her career in Italy in the financial sector covering multiple HR roles at UniCredit Group.

In 2013, she joined the Flutter-owned Sportsbet in her native Australia, before moving to London in 2019 and becoming talent director at Flutter predecessor Paddy Power Betfair. 

Carson said she is delighted to “welcome this new professional challenge.” 

“Sisal’s multinational profile will give us the opportunity to work on issues of diversity and inclusion in all its aspects, with the goal of becoming a leading company in these issues,” she commented. 

In a LinkedIn post, Carson added: 

“Both professionally and personally, I feel incredibly fortunate that my experiences across the Flutter family of brands have brought me back to Italy to work with a passionate and dedicated team and a business that puts people at the centre of all we do.” 

Sisal currently employs around 3,000 people in five different countries.

B2B sports betting supplier FSB has appointed former Entain head of human resources Michaela Bonomini as its new chief people officer.

Bonomini will be responsible for leading FSB’s global HR function and adopting an overarching people-centric strategy with a focus on delivering high employee retention rates.

Headquartered in London, FSB opened a new technical delivery office in Glasgow, Scotland, in September, while the opening of the company’s South American hub in the Colombian city of Medellin is planned for this autumn.

Bonomini worked as group head of HR at FTSE 100 operator Entain (then GVC) between 2015 and 2017.

During that time, she led the restructuring and people transformation programmes, which were implemented following the acquisition of Bwin.Party in 2016.

FSB CEO Dave McDowell commented: “Michaela is another outstanding hire into our growing global executive team.

“Building a structure around our internal culture and employee benefit programme has been a key priority of ours and as our employee numbers continue to grow globally, it was clear we needed to recruit a major industry figure to enable us to execute this across our regions with skill, experience and understanding.

“Michaela’s top of the market experience at GVC meant she was the clear choice to fill this role and we’re thrilled to have her on board,” he added.

FSB CEO Dave McDowell: “Michaela is another outstanding hire into our growing global executive team.”

Bonomini becomes the third former Entain executive to join FSB after the earlier appointments of global delivery director Ken Paterson and former CTO Keith Laidlaw as a board member.

Bonomini left Entain in August 2017 and joined britbet, again as head of HR in December 2017.

Between October 2018 and September 2020, she worked as a self-employed HR director and change consultant before taking up a position as regional HR director at audit and accounting firm Azets, a role she ended in September to join FSB.

Commenting on her appointment, Bonomini said: “FSB’s growth into a tier 1 global supplier over the last 18 months has been hugely impressive and I’m passionate about playing a key role in this continuing growth journey.

“My job now is to work closely with our people across the regions and put dynamic practices in place to make sure FSB continues to attract, develop and retain top talent.”

With a footprint in regulated markets across Europe, Africa and North America, FSB offers sportsbook, casino, retail and PAM solutions to its operator clients.