The UK arm of international lottery and gaming giant, Allwyn, has hired a new Managing Director for its retail segment.
Bridget Lea has been named in the role and will be stepping away from her position as UK VP and GM for Snapchat’s parent company Snap Incorporated.
Lea will start working alongside Allwyn UK CEO, Andrea Vidler, and the current retail team from 19 January.
This role has been newly created by Allwyn to help kickstart growth in National Lottery sales.
Around 25% of the money from sales of lottery tickets goes to good causes, so Allwyn’s promise to double the weekly contribution from around £30m to £60m by the end of its 10-year licence will therefore require a major uptick in sales.
So far, the road to achieving this goal has not been utterly smooth.
For instance, a major technological overhaul in the summer may be classed as a qualified success, with contested reports of glitches and overspend delaying Allwyn’s growth plans.
The company has said that Lea will be tasked with spearheading growth opportunities and strengthening retail partnerships for the National Lottery, efforts it says will be: “central to the ongoing transformation of The National Lottery, which will gather momentum in 2026.”
Lea herself has commented on her appointment, saying: “This role brings together so much of what motivates me: purpose-led growth, retail transformation at national scale, creating brilliant, omnichannel customer experiences and ensuring the Lottery continues to feel relevant, responsible and exciting for a new generation of players, while staying true to its unique social mission of supporting good causes across the UK.”
Vidler and the executive team at Allwyn UK will be hoping Lea’s 15+ years of commercial experience will allow her to hit the ground running and push the company on to its target.
Allwyn International's merger with OPAP was recently approved by the Greek company's shareholders in an Extraordinary General Meeting in Athens
