Elena Kowalska
Allwyn UK is redrawing its senior management map for The National Lottery, and three executives are on their way out as part of the shake-up. In an announcement dated November 5, the operator said the new setup is meant to speed up growth, push more money toward Good Causes and sharpen the experience for players and retail partners.
The changes kick in on December 1, 2026. Commercial, customer and technology functions will sit closer together around the company's Retail and Digital channels, and marketing gets a bigger say across the whole business.
Who Is Leaving
Three posts disappear. The Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director, Digital roles are being cut as technology duties are folded more directly into Digital, Retail and Security.
Strategy and future direction now belong to the CEO, which means the Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer position also goes.
CTO Mark Smith will exit the business but remain as Technology Strategy Adviser through June 2027 to keep things steady. Richard Dawkins, Managing Director, Digital, departs in December 2026 after close to three years running the digital side. Sarah Venning, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, leaves at the end of November 2026.
What Is Being Created
Two new roles take shape. A Chief Digital Officer will own digital products and channels, customer experience, technology, data and platforms, plus automation and AI — and will answer for the commercial results of the digital channels.
A Chief Marketing Officer will run brand, marketing, creative, CRM, communications, product marketing, winners' services and customer experience. Stephen Taylor arrives as interim CMO on November 17, 2026.
Taylor brings more than 30 years of marketing work at consumer brands including PayPal, Samsung, Nokia and Pizza Express. He joins from Thrive, the advisory firm he founded.
A new Director of Social Impact will concentrate on telling communities what The National Lottery does for them. Current Chief Impact Officer Alastair Ruxton steps into the job and reports to the CEO.
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Context For The Licence Holder
CEO Phil Walker, who took the interim chief executive job after his predecessor left, said the transformation has taken a huge amount of effort. The task now, he said, is converting that work into stronger growth, a better player experience and more money for Good Causes.
He added that changes on this scale always hit people who did important work, and he thanked them by name. The reshuffle lands while the operator stays under regulatory scrutiny.
The Gambling Commission has said before that Allwyn has to hit higher lottery standards. A smaller top team with clearer accountability for performance is management's stated response.
Allwyn UK sits inside Allwyn, a global lottery operator. The company has not named who will take the Chief Digital Officer post. Nor does the announcement put a price on the changes or say whether senior roles below the executive team are affected — so those details are still up in the air.
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Source: gambling.com
