Flutter Appoints Karen O’Rourke as New Chief of Staff in Strategic Move

International gaming, sports betting, and entertainment supplier Flutter Entertainment have appointed Paddy Power’s ex-advertising manager Karen O’Rourke as its new chief of staff for chief executive officer Peter Jackson. The decision is an important step in the company’s plans to restructure its personnel.

O’Rourke to Boost Flutter’s Corporate Strategy

O’Rourke will be going back to the Dublin-based operator after a six-year break from her time at Paddy Power, replacing Portia Walker. Walker is getting ready to manage the integration of Italian brand Sisal which has been recently acquired for £1.62 billion ($2 billion) from CVC Capital Partners Fund VI at the end of 2021. The purchase will be completed in the second quarter of 2022.

O’Rourke spent the past two and a half years working with Amazon in the Netherlands as head of brand & performance, head of acquisition marketing, and senior marketing manager. Previously, she spent close to three years working as Uber’s Senior Marketing Manager for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and Marketing Manager for UK and Ireland.

At Paddy Power Betfair, O’Rourke spent three years and five months between August 2013 and December 2016 filling in positions as advertising manager, communications strategy manager, marketing campaign manager, or marketing campaign executive, among others.

Her new position with Flutter Entertainment will have O’Rourke help drive the company’s corporate strategy. She will also work together with divisional leadership crews.

“Nowhere I’d Rather Say Hello Again To”

O’Rourke bid her goodbye to “a city, company, and industry” that she “adored” being involved in, while also adding that there is no other place she would rather “say hello to again” than Flutter Entertainment. 

At the end of April, Flutter decided to further strengthen its board with Carolan Lennon’s help after Zillah Byng-Thorne and Michael Cawley bid their farewells. The company appointed Lennon as the new non-executive director. In mid-May, Flutter announced that it would replace its current audit firm, making the switch from KPMG to Deloitte after a two-decade partnership. The new collaboration with Deloitte is set to start in 2024. 

Flutter also made its future plans public, mentioning the intention to launch the Positive Impact Plan focused on its international goals leading up to 2030. One of the main goals of the plan refers to improving the lives of more than 10 million people with the help of “sports and play”. In the upcoming four years, the company wishes to provide its Play-Well tools to more than half of its users, with the numbers growing to 75% by the year 2030.