Allwyn UK Restructures Leadership as National Lottery Sales Slide

^{A newsagent displaying National Lottery signs. Allwyn UK says its new structure puts Retail and Digital at the centre. (Photo: grassrootsgroundswell / Wikimedia Commons)}

Allwyn UK, the operator of the National Lottery, has announced a new senior leadership structure that removes three executive roles and creates two new ones. The company said on 5 November the changes are designed to accelerate growth, increase returns for good causes and improve the experience of players and retail partners.

The new structure takes effect from 1 December 2026.

Who Is Leaving

The chief technology officer and managing director, digital roles will end, as technology capabilities are folded more directly into the Digital, Retail and Security teams. The chief strategy and transformation officer role will also close, with responsibility for strategy moving to the chief executive.

Chief technology officer Mark Smith will leave the business but stay on as technology strategy adviser until June 2027. Richard Dawkins, managing director of digital, will leave in December after nearly three years. Sarah Venning, chief strategy and transformation officer, will go at the end of November.

What Replaces Them

A new chief digital officer will oversee digital products and channels, customer experience, technology, data and platforms, and automation and AI, along with accountability for the commercial performance of Allwyn's digital channels. A new chief marketing officer will take in brand, marketing, creative, CRM, communications, product marketing, winners' services and customer experience.

Stephen Taylor will join as interim chief marketing officer on 17 November. Allwyn said he brings more than 30 years of marketing experience across consumer brands including PayPal, Samsung, Nokia and Pizza Express, and joins from CMO Thrive, the marketing advisory firm he founded.

Alastair Ruxton, currently chief impact officer, becomes director of social impact, reporting to the chief executive. The role will focus on communicating what National Lottery play delivers for communities.

Chief Executive's Comments

Chief executive Phil Walker said the transformation of the National Lottery had involved "an enormous amount of work" and that the challenge was now to turn it into stronger growth. "That means putting customers closer to our decisions, giving our Retail and Digital businesses the capabilities they need to compete and innovate, and creating much clearer accountability for performance," he said.

"Changes of this scale inevitably affect people who have played important roles in getting us to where we are today."

The Backdrop

The reshuffle comes with the operator under pressure on sales. Allwyn took over the licence from Camelot in 2024, and its most recent quarterly update showed that UK lottery sales fell in the second quarter even as profit rose sharply. Its licence has also been tested in the courts, after the High Court backed Allwyn's National Lottery licence and rejected the rival bidder's claims.

The National Audit Office has said it will examine the design of the licensing process, and returns to good causes have been under scrutiny. Allwyn has made hires aimed at product renewal before, including when it brought in Katie Harbron to drive innovation.

Allwyn did not set out new sales targets alongside the announcement. The company's next trading update will show whether the structure is changing the trend.