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Richard Harris has been named permanent Chief Executive Officer of The Rank Group, moving into the role on a full-time basis after serving in an interim capacity since January 30, 2026.
The change was confirmed in a regulatory filing published Monday and takes effect immediately.
Harris joined Rank’s board as Chief Financial Officer in May 2022, giving him four years of exposure to the company’s operations before stepping into the interim CEO role. Before Rank, he held senior positions at Marks & Spencer, Foxtons and Laird.
The company has not indicated whether a search for a new CFO will proceed at this stage, seemingly leaving that post unfilled for now.
“Rank is an industry-leading business with a strong portfolio of brands which are synonymous with the UK gaming industry. I am proud of what Rank has achieved during my tenure as CFO, and I look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to drive growth and evolve the group’s strategy,” said Harris.
“I’d like to thank all my colleagues for their commitment and support over the last four years and look forward to an exciting future as CEO of the Rank Group,” he added.
A transition set in motion in January
Harris stepped in as interim CEO after John O’Reilly announced his retirement in January, closing out a tenure of nearly eight years at the helm.
O’Reilly became CEO in May 2018, having previously served as a non-executive director at William Hill and as managing director of GVC’s Coral Interactive division within Gala Coral Group.
At the time of O’Reilly’s retirement, Rank chairman John Ott said: “His extensive gambling industry knowledge and experience, as well as deep operational skills, have combined to ensure that Rank is well positioned to build on the direction he established.”
Rank’s nominations committee, chaired by Ott, ran the search for O’Reilly’s permanent successor with support from independent advisory firm MWM Consulting. The committee weighed both internal and external candidates before the board settled on Harris.
Ott said of the decision: “I am delighted to confirm Richard’s appointment as CEO of The Rank Group. Following a thorough recruitment process which identified a strong field of candidates, the board unanimously agreed that Richard was the outstanding choice.”
He added: “I am pleased that he has agreed to lead Rank as it continues to progress the delivery of the medium-term objective of generating at least £100 million ($134 million) operating profit and the development of the longer-term strategy.”
The leadership change comes as Rank reported like-for-like net gaming revenue of £205.4 million ($275.2 million) for the first three months of the current year.
The company said profit conversion during the period puts it on course to exceed the £63.7 million ($85.4 million) operating profit recorded in fiscal year 2024-25, a figure that excludes the impact of club openings, closures, foreign exchange movements and discontinued operations. Rank’s fiscal year concludes on June 30, 2026.