Allwyn UK restructures leadership, scraps three C-level roles and creates three new posts

Allwyn UK, the UK arm of Allwyn International and operator of the National Lottery, has announced a restructuring of its senior leadership, with a particular focus on how technology is managed across the business. The changes follow a change of chief executive: Phil Walker took over as interim CEO in September, replacing Adriana Vidler, who had led the company for three years.

Three positions are being phased out: Chief Technology Officer, Managing Director of Digital, and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. Walker will take on the responsibilities of the last of these. The technology-facing duties will be folded into the Digital, Retail and Security divisions, all overseen by Walker as CEO. Mark Smith, Richard Dawkins and Sarah Venning, who held those three roles, will leave the company. Venning departs in November and Dawkins in December, while Smith will stay on as Technology Strategy Advisory until June 2027.

Three new roles are being created: Director of Social Impact, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Digital Officer. Alastair Ruxton, previously Chief Impact Officer, becomes Director of Social Impact. Stephen Taylor, founder of the marketing advisory business CMO Thrive, will serve as interim CMO from 17 November 2026. The Chief Digital Officer post has not yet been filled. The company says the restructuring is therefore not a permanent reduction in headcount.

Ruxton will be responsible for linking Allwyn UK's mission of raising money for good causes with its wider corporate and social value objectives and with the National Lottery's product portfolio. This matters because the company's performance will be assessed against such measures when the National Lottery licence comes up for renewal in 2034. Allwyn UK has set a target of doubling weekly returns to good causes from £30m to £60m by 2034.

To support ticket sales, Allwyn has upgraded retail terminals, which was a contractual obligation under its Gambling Commission licence, and has launched Powerball in the UK for the first time.

Walker said the aim is to turn the National Lottery's transformation into stronger growth, a better experience for players and retail partners, and more money for good causes, with clearer accountability for performance. He also thanked the departing executives for their contribution.