888.com hires Unilever man as chief marketer

888.com, one of the world’s largest internet gambling companies, has appointed Jon Sumroy as its new chief marketing officer.

Sumroy joins from Unilever where he headed up the consumer division for its Johnson & Johnson brand in Israel. He will take up the new position on 15 December.

In his new role Sumroy will be responsible for developing the marketing strategy for the online gambling company.

He takes over from longstanding executive vice president of marketing Michael Palmon. Palmon founded the company’s marketing arm and was also part of the senior management team that oversaw the float of the business on the London Stock Exchange last year.

Sumroy will report directly to Gigi Levy (pictured), currently chief operating officer who will also take on the role of chief executive at the end of this year.

888.com is understood to have a marketing budget of over $100m (£53m) for the current year, and has recently bolstered its presence in the sports arena with a number of sponsorship deals with football clubs around Europe, including Sevilla, Toulouse and Middlesbrough, as well as the World Snooker Championship.