DAZN Restructures Leadership, Shay Segev To Be Sole CEO As Darren Waterman Joins As CFO
January 17, 2022
DAZN Group today announces the implementation of a new Group structure and some leadership changes that will enable DAZN to realise its ambitious growth and product strategy.
As of today, Shay Segev will be sole CEO of DAZN Group. Shay joined DAZN in June 2021, before which he was the CEO of Entain, a FTSE 100 company. Shay has an exceptional track record in scaling digital consumer businesses, which will be indispensable as DAZN expands its customer offering to include interactive and engaging content for fans to enjoy alongside its sports streaming service. Shay joined Entain in 2016 when it was a small entrepreneurial business, and over the course of five years, he oversaw a phenomenal period of growth, including – most notably – the acquisition of bwin.party and Ladbrokes Coral, and establishment of BetMGM. By the time Shay left to join DAZN, Entain had become the market leader with a capitalisation of £10 billion.
James Rushton, DAZN Co-Founder, will continue with his existing responsibilities overseeing growth in local markets, rights and content. A 25-year veteran of the sports industry, James spent the majority of his career at Perform Group where he led many significant innovations, market expansion and revenue growth, including the launch of DAZN in 2016.
Additionally, Darren Waterman joins as Group CFO, based in London. Darren joins with tremendous experience from Amazon where he led the Finance team responsible for Prime Video internationally. A world-class leader and seasoned TMT industry executive, Darren brings to DAZN a track record of successful geographic expansion, video streaming, product innovation and investment in sports, TV and movie content. After almost four years as CFO, Stuart Epstein will continue in the role of Senior Advisor and member of the DAZN Board, enabling a smooth and effective transition of his current roles and responsibilities during the first half of 2022.
Kevin Mayer, DAZN Group Chairman, said, “DAZN has become the global leader in sports streaming in just five years and it is time to take this business to the next level. Shay’s technology background and outstanding history of delivering a strong performance culture will be hugely beneficial as DAZN introduces additional interactive fan engagement services such as betting and e-commerce for users to enjoy alongside our core offering of live sports streaming. James’ expertise in sports rights and deep understanding of the markets will ensure that DAZN continues to nurture and grow its core business. We thank Stuart for his many valuable contributions and look forward to his on-going involvement in this new capacity and we are delighted to be onboarding such strong talent as Darren Waterman. Being able to attract such high calibre individuals is a testament to the strength of our business and our future.”
These changes come on the heels of significant global momentum at DAZN including the recent win of domestic LaLiga rights in Spain, being named Apple TV App of the Year for 2021 and reaching a record- breaking number of fans across the world. Looking into 2022, fans can expect an even deeper, more interactive experience with DAZN as the company moves forward with recreational betting, gaming, e-commerce, NFTs and tech advances in the viewing experience.