Technology

Posted on February 14, 2019 by staff

Former SkyBet CTO joins Shop Direct

Technology

Online retail giant Shop Direct has appointed former Sky Betting and Gaming chief technology officer Andy Burton as its CTO.

Burton, who will join the business’ executive board in May, will report to the company’s group CEO Henry Birch.

He joins Shop Direct from The Stars Group, a global leader in online gaming, where he became a director following the company’s merger with Sky Betting and Gaming in 2018.

Over a nine-year period at Sky Betting and Gaming in roles including CTO and director of technology, Burton transformed the technology team, growing headcount 40-fold to 700 and helping the company become the UK’s largest online gaming operator by number of customers.

He will now lead Shop Direct’s 275- strong technology team as it continues to transform its tech and platforms.

“Technology underpins everything we do at Shop Direct. It helps us deliver the online experience and end-to-end journey that keeps our customers coming back to Very and Littlewoods time and time again,” said Birch.

“It was always our ambition to appoint a heavy-hitting CTO to our board and Andy certainly fits the bill.

“He has unrivalled experience of improving performance and customer experience through technology and new ways of working.”

Shop Direct has also promoted former head of IT architecture and engineering Karl Wintrell to the position of technology director, responsible for data science and strategy, and tech engineering and architecture.

He has been with the company for almost six years, and played a central role in defining the company’s technology plans and delivering IT change to support its ongoing digital transformation.

Interim CTO JM Domaingue will also take up the role of technology director, leading technology operations including information security.

The duo will report to Burton and jointly oversee the technology team prior to his arrival.

“With the support of Karl and JM, who are exceptional leaders, I am confident that Andy will continue to transform our technology capabilities, deliver the platforms we need to support our ongoing growth and be a vital member of our executive board,” added Birch.

Burton commented: “Shop Direct is hugely ambitious and has a track record in delivering successful transformation through tech.

“The business has achieved so much in a short time but there’s still a lot of work to do. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the next chapter.

“The best technology innovation, culture and talent will play a massive part in that.”