Kenny Alexander (businessman)

Kenny Alexander
Born	Kenneth Jack Alexander April 1969 (age 55) Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
Education	University of Glasgow
Occupation	Businessman
Title	Former CEO, GVC Holdings
Term	2007-2020
Successor	Shay Segev
Spouse	Caroline Alexander

Kenneth Jack (Kenny) Alexander (born April 1969) is a Scottish businessman who served as chief executive (CEO) of GVC Holdings, a gambling company based in the Isle of Man, from 2007 to 2020.

Early life

Kenneth Jack Alexander ^[1] was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, ^{[2] [3]} grew up in North Ayrshire and earned a bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Glasgow. ^[4]

Career

In 1991, he joined the accountants Grant Thornton, where he worked for five years and qualified as a chartered accountant. ^[4] In 1996, he joined Hazlewood Foods as a financial controller. ^[4]

In 2000, he joined Sportingbet, having seen the job advertised in the Racing Post , and by 2007 had risen to become head of its European operations. ^{[4] [5]}

Alexander became CEO of GVC in 2007, when it was listed on AIM and valued at £26 million. ^[4]

In February 2016, he concluded the £1.1 billion reverse takeover of GVC's larger competitor Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment. ^[4]

In April 2017, it was speculated that Alexander and GVC were looking to take over the bookmakers William Hill. ^[6]

In December 2017, it was announced that GVC would take over the bookmakers Ladbrokes Coral for up to £4 billion, with Alexander as CEO, and a likely FTSE 100 index entry. ^[7]

In July 2020, it was announced that Alexander would retire, to be succeeded as chief executive by Shay Segev, the chief operating officer. ^[8] The Guardian called a "surprise departure". ^[9]

Personal life

He is married to Caroline Alexander, ^[10] and lives with his family in Perth, Scotland. Before his retirement in 2020, he was based in London during the week. ^[6]

His hobbies include no-limit cash poker, and when he worked at Sportingbet, considered becoming a professional gambler, about which his wife was "horrified". ^[6] He owns a string of racehorses, ^[11] including star mare Honeysuckle, and bets every day, either on horses or football. ^[4]

In May 2021, he was convicted of taking and driving away a vehicle without the owner's consent, drink driving and driving without insurance. ^[12]

References

1. "Kenneth Jack ALEXANDER - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
2. Dunkley, Daniel (13 September 2015). "I've been betting since I was 13, but Bwin must be my best punt" . Retrieved 22 December 2017– via www.thetimes.co.uk.
3. "Betting firms can count on canny Scots". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
4. Martin, Ben (22 December 2017). "The odds are on FTSE 250 place for GVC chief" . Retrieved 22 December 2017– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
5. Barber, Bill. "From meat factory to gambling big hitter – the rise of Kenny Alexander - Horse Racing News - Racing Post". Racing Post . Retrieved 22 December 2017.
6. "Kenny Alexander: The poker-playing GVC boss on the hunt for deals". 7 April 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
7. "British gambling firm GVC seals Ladbrokes takeover". Reuters. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.^{[ dead link ‍]}
8. Gill, Oliver; Foy, Simon (16 July 2020). "Boss of Ladbrokes owner GVC steps down". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. Partridge, Joanna (21 July 2020). "HMRC widens investigation into Ladbrokes owner GVC". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
10. "Alliance News Detail - London Stock Exchange". www.londonstockexchange.com. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
11. "Kenneth Alexander | Horse Records | Racing Post".
12. Buchan, Jamie. "Former Ladbrokes CEO took delivery car from Perth kebab shop". The Courier. Retrieved 22 May 2021.