The Pools has appointed former Betfred and GigPig marketing chief Gemma Strath-Billington as its new head of group marketing.
Strath-Billington will be responsible for leading brand, digital and consumer engagement strategy for the iconic British betting brand, formerly Littlewoods Pools and simply The Football Pools.
She joins The Pools having previously held a number of key marketing roles, including at Betfred, which Strath-Billington joined in 2006, first as head of offline marketing before her appointment as group head of marketing in 2014, growing the Betfred brand and heading up several key campaigns.
After 15 years with Betfred, she moved to supermarket giant Iceland to deliver a repositioning and rebrand, while she also spent time with Play Music Today, a UK music retailer, and GigPig, a live music marketplace disruptor headquartered in Manchester.
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Strath-Billington returns to the betting sector at The Pools where she will work closely with CEO James Arnold and report to COO Steve Talbot.
The news follows a number of appointments for the company across the last 12 months, including Phillip Donegan as chief technology officer, Chris Williams as head of product and Matt Knowles as head of CRM, as part of an aggressive growth strategy which helped deliver The Pools’ major rebrand in February.
In August, The Pools unveiled the latest phase of its rebrand with the launch of its TV and video on demand (VOD) advertising campaign, ‘True Originals’.
Strath-Billington said: “I’m excited to join [the team] at The Pools, who have done such an amazing job in recent months in delivering a game-changing relaunch.
“The ‘True Originals’ campaign was another big step forward for The Pools, and my role will now be to build on that success, delivering a growth strategy centred on innovation and engagement.
“The Pools is such an iconic and cherished brand and I am delighted to take both customers new and old with us as we enter a bright next chapter.”
James Arnold, The Pools CEO, added: “Gemma’s wealth of experience in the sector and track record of delivering successful brand campaigns made her the ideal candidate for the role and we’re delighted to have made this appointment.
“We’ve generated some strong momentum this year following our rebrand and through the launch of our recent ‘True Originals’ campaign, and we look forward to building on this over the coming months.
“Gemma will play an integral role as we continue to leverage the historic brand’s unique position in British sports and betting culture, while reaching new audiences and the next generation of football fans.”
