David Williams Email & Phone Number

London, Gb

Expanding on my existing responsibilities for the Public Affairs role at Rank (having joined in December 2018 - see below), I now fulfil the role of Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations. The alignment of all external affairs responsibilities under my leadership seeks to build on progress of recent years as I have sought to amplify the Rank story with key political, regulatory and other stakeholders. By adding investor relations into my corporate affairs brief, I am responsible for ensuring that all external audiences, including existing and and potential investors, recognise Rank Group's exciting and sustainable growth trajectory.

Maidenhead, Uk

As Director of Public Affairs, I had full responsibility for the Public Affairs, regulatory framework and parliamentary engagement strategy for the FTSE 250 Rank Group (including the UK's largest casino operator, Grosvenor, and the Mecca brands). Reporting directly into the Chief Executive's Office, I was tasked with advancing the Group's business priorities through a programme of political engagement & lobbying, effective national Public Relations activity and the building of robust and effective relationships with key external stakeholders, showcasing the sustainability agenda at Rank and the growth opportunities for an iconic, modern, responsible corporate giant.

Joined the Board of S.E.N.S.E. Ltd in 2022 as one of the founding directors of the national self-exclusion scheme for land-based casino operators. Appointed Chairman of the Board in September 2024.

Buckinghamshire

Green Seventeen is a Communications-oriented consultancy working across a number of industries, including sport and media. It offers bespoke solutions to consumer PR and corporate media clients seeking to improve their Comms results; it offers wide-ranging advice from proactive to crisis comms, tailored reports, content-writing, product analysis, media training and organisational design. Clients include Aston Villa FC, Playtech BGT and News UK.

London, United Kingdom

As Director of Communications, I managed the full suite of Comms functions for britbet - the UK racecourse-backed start-up pool betting partnership which launched across the country in July 2018. From recruitment of a full Comms and Marketing function in 2018 Q1 & Q2 to designing the Comms strategy and delivering the plan, my remit included corporate and industry affairs, consumer PR, media relations, internal comms, brand management & social media Comms.

I directed and led all Ladbrokes' relationships with the media, acting as the advisor to the Board on media matters whilst representing the Company globally in all media dealings. I was the first port of call for all media & ran the media crisis management function. I designed & delivered the consumer PR strategy, managing a team which promoted the Ladbrokes brand and drove commercial benefits. In my role as Director of Media at Ladbrokes until June 2017, my achievements included:• Designed and delivered entire corporate media programme for Ladbrokes plc Board, around completed £2.3bn merger with Coral, supporting the business strategy with wide-ranging City and corporate profiling of senior management, notably the CEO of the to-be merged company.• Directed all Ladbrokes relationships with the corporate & consumer media, including high-profile activist shareholder disputes, CMA judgments and coverage of major Crown Court trials, advising the Board on all media matters.• Maintained my pre-eminent position as the most widely quoted and recognisable spokesperson for over a decade within the UK gambling sector, representing the Company globally in all media activity, including parliamentary regulation, current affairs, responsible gambling & major sporting events, on national TV, radio, in print & in digital.• Headed the crisis comms management operation, managing the media around colleague casualties (2015), cyber attacks, data breaches (2017), whilst acting as first port of call for all media.• Managed the company’s relationship with retained financial PR agency (Tulchan) whilst leading on comms and materials for key plc calendar events (Prelims, AGM, Interims, Trading Statements) & merger presentations to City.• Successfully initiated an integrated PR strategy – now operating across multiple teams, countries and skill sets – promoting the Ladbrokes brand and driving tangible commercial benefits, as audited – independently – by MML.

Harrow, London

• Delivered a 6-year market-leading & award-winning PR programme within gambling sector across traditional media, key digital/social media channels and all leading broadcast platforms.• Scoped and controlled an annual budget of £ 1 million+, including salaries, macro-agency (project & retainer) PR projects.• Specialised in horseracing PR, securing front-page national newspaper results; appeared on every major national news channel, with 400+ TV personal appearances, plus major online, radio, TV & international coverage each year. • Recruited, established & nurtured entire new in-house team (of 4) to deliver global PR results – independently audited – valued at £6 million+ (AVE) annually.• Delivered many high-return, consumer PR campaigns (McCoy for SPOTY, Royal Corgi Race, Bet On Your Degree)Senior PR Executive January 2006 – April 2009• Became first High St bookmaker in the industry to secure regular Sky Sports News slot with sport & racing focus.• Hosted valuable HVC press events for Breeders’ Cup, Ashes, Poker Million & World Cup 2006 events with key media & clients.• Initiated new cost-effective and transparent media monitoring and measurement programme for PR department. PR Executive May 2005 – January 2006 • Secured back page national quoted coverage in Sun with first ever project (Lions tour to New Zealand, 2005).• Co-ordinated eGaming Review Awards submissions for Ladbrokes, winning two categories for digital/online work.• Graduate Programme (Gibraltar-based) September 2004 – May 2005 • Successfully designed & delivered a comprehensive PR report into opportunities for the poker product at Ladbrokes.

Macclesfield, Cheshire

• Researched, conducted & presented both qual. & quant. six-figure pharmaceutical research projects in UK, Europe & USA – as first job post Oxford graduation.

Gap year solo travel worldwide, following completion of Oxford FInals and prior to starting work at Adelphi: visited Dubai, Singapore, Bali (Bali bombing, October 2002), Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, USA.

Ma, Oxon, Geography, 2:1 With 1St Class Marks In Final Year Dissertation.

Education record

Captain of School.