Entain On Hunt For CMO Successor; Job Cuts Not Linked To Exit

Entain has confirmed the departure of Charlotte Emery as their Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Emery, who served in her role for two years, exited the gambling giant on mutually agreed terms, with the company concluding now was the right time to make a change.

Although Entain hasn’t specifically revealed any redundancies across the marketing division, it is expected Emery will ensure a smooth and orderly handover of key responsibilities. Entain is now on the hunt for a new CMO, and an announcement on Emery’s successor will be confirmed in due course.

Emery’s track record of success

During her tenure, Emery led a 230-strong marketing function. She was armed with a £250 million budget across a £2 billion retail digital business, consisting of Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala, and Foxy Bingo.

Emery’s LinkedIn profile highlighted she steered Entain to five consecutive quarters of growth, where the company returned £100 million or more in net gaming revenue (NGR).

Among her most significant achievements was the overhaul of Entain’s UK agency roster. In June last year, Emery presided over the appointment of Atomic London as Ladbrokes’ lead creative agency.

In her position, Emery played an instrumental role in helping reset football as a core pillar of the business. She helped broker deals with Liverpool and Birmingham, and according to her LinkedIn profile, she took every brand to “measurably stronger health”.

Aside from sitting as a Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) committee member focused on advertising and ad tech, Emery previously served as William Hill’s global chief brand officer. And her successor will be expected to spearhead the new strategic direction of marketing and branding across Entain’s UK portfolio.

Entain slashing 500 jobs

As part of its desire to be leaner and generate more value, Entain recently announced it would be cutting around 500 jobs. The initiative implemented by the company’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Snape would see approximately 2% of Entains’ global workforce made redundant.

To support its broader efficiency programme, Entain is expected to make staff reductions across its product, technology, and corporate functions. However, there has been no suggestion that Emery’s exit is in any way linked to the job cuts.

That said, cost-cutting has been a recurring theme at Entain. Indeed, last month, Entain made a move to retreat from Central and Eastern Europe by selling a 20% stake in its joint venture in the region to existing partner EMMA Capital for roughly £366 million.

Tax impact felt across the industry

Most pertinently, Entain has been feeling the impact brought about by the hike in gambling taxes. In April, remote gambling duty (RGD) paid on online casino bets jumped from 21% of gross gambling yield (GGY) to 40%. Meanwhile, as of April 2027, general betting duty paid on online sports bets will rise from 15% to 25%, but this won’t apply to horseracing bets.

Entain’s CEO, Stella David, had previously claimed that any job cuts would not be carried out as a direct response to tax increases in the UK. That said, David conceded that to mitigate against the gambling tax changes, the company would have to rein back marketing spend.

Entain’s wider goal

Entain’s leadership team has made it its aim to try and strengthen Ladbrokes and Coral’s UK market share from 2027 onwards and propel them to new heights. Emery was praised for the “passion and energy” she demonstrated in her role, but if Entain is to show operational agility moving forward, tough decisions may have to be made.