The board of directors of evoke announces today that, after more than five years at the Company, Lord Jon Mendelsohn has informed the Board of his decision to step down as Chair and Non-Executive Director with immediate effect. The Board thanks Jon for his significant and highly valued contributions to the Company since joining the Board in September 2020, including during his tenure as interim Executive Chair between 30 January to 16 October 2023.
The Board is pleased to announce that Mark Summerfield has been appointed as the permanent Non-Executive Chair of the Board with immediate effect. Mark joined the Board in September 2019 as a Non-Executive Director and is the chair of the Audit & Risk Committee and the Gaming Compliance Committee, and a member of the ESG Committee. Mark will step down as the chair of the Audit & Risk Committee and Limor Ganot will assume this role on an interim basis.
In addition, the Board announces that Anne de Kerckhove has been appointed as the permanent Deputy Chair of the Board with immediate effect. Anne joined the Board in November 2017 and will continue to serve as Senior Independent Director, as well as chairing the Nominations Committee and the ESG Committee, and serving on the Remuneration Committee.
Lord Jon Mendelsohn, Non-Executive Chair, commented:
"It has been a privilege to serve as the Chair of evoke. It has been a fantastic experience from shepherding the acquisition of William Hill International through to my tenure as interim Executive Chair and, more recently, working closely with the Board and executive team to develop and articulate evoke's long-term growth strategy. Having overseen the transformation of the business into one of the world's leading betting and gaming companies, now is the right time to hand over to Mark to steward evoke through its next important phase of growth and stability. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved at the Company over the past five years and would like to thank my fellow Board members, the executive team, and the wider organisation for their utmost and unwavering commitment."
Per Widerström, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"I would like to thank Jon for his exceptional leadership of the Board and for his support during my transition into the business. He has helped to guide the Company through a period of significant growth and transformation and his insight and collaboration will be missed.
I am looking forward to working with Mark and Anne in their new roles. Mark has such strong and deep institutional knowledge of the Company, the industry and our strategic priorities, and is ideally positioned to lead the Board and the Company through the next period of growth and development."
Mark Summerfield, Non-Executive Director, commented:
"It has been one of the highlights of my professional career to have partnered with Jon over the past few years and I will miss his dedication and insight. I look forward to working closely with my fellow Board members, including Anne as Deputy Chair, and the executive team to ensure the successful delivery of our strategy and create significant shareholder value."
As previously disclosed, the Group will announce its Q3 Trading Update on 28 October 2025.