Ladbrokes hires former Allied Domecq boss

Betting shop chain Ladbrokes has appointed former Allied Domecq Inns marketer Andy Walder to its board as marketing and development director.

Walder takes over responsibilities from commercial director John O’Reilly, who in August was appointed managing director of Ladbrokes International, its off-shore betting service.

The international division is based in Gibraltar and offers tax-free betting over the telephone and on the Internet. Over the next few years, online betting is expected to expand considerably.

Ladbrokes International, which was set up with a &£5m investment from parent company Hilton Group, says it has signed up over 4,000 customers since its launch in October, and employs over 150 people at its call centre.

Walder was one of a number of marketers left out in the cold following the sale of Allied Domecq leisure to Punch Taverns earlier this year.

Walder joined Allied Domecq in May 1996 as marketing director (MW May 10 1996) from Whitbread’s Beefeater restaurant chain, where he was marketing controller.

At Ladbrokes, he will be responsible for co-ordinating the marketing of the chain’s 2,500 shops.