Flutter's Southern Europe and Africa (SEA) CEO, Francesco Durante, has announced his departure as of 31 January 2026.
After 17 years in charge of Sisal, which was purchased by Flutter at the end of December 2021, Durante will be replaced in his role by Roberto Di Fonzo, who was also at Sisal pre-acquisition.
Durante's statement read as follows: "I would like to thank the Leadership Team and all my colleagues for the journey we have shared in Sisal, and more recently, in Flutter. It has been a unique experience, both personally and professionally."
He added: "I am proud of what we have achieved together, as we have reached extraordinary results and faced exciting challenges that now allow us to look to the future with great ambition."
Di Fonzo is already in situ as the Flutter SEA CFO, but will take the top job from 1 February following a transition period managed over the coming weeks - the vacated CFO job will be filled, in turn, by Regional Finance Director, Laura Orsini.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Flutter's Q3 results showed a 101% year-on-year increase in revenue. This success was driven by major growth of the Sisal lottery brand in Italy and Turkey.
Earlier this year, Flutter's Sisal made a late bid to rival a consortium led by IGT for the Italian Lottery licence, though the consortium, named LottoItalia, was ultimately preferred.
The soon-to-be former Chief Executive is celebrated by the company for having led the evolution and transformation of Sisal, particularly through the process of digitisation, expansion and sustainability. And earlier this year Flutter SEA, under Durante's leadership, made the landmark acquisition of Snaitech for €2.3bn ($2.66m), reinforcing its Italian portfolio.
In Durante's time in charge of Flutter's SEA brands, the oversight of Sisal, Snaitech and PokerStars all fell under his remit.
In the next phase of Flutter SEA's development, these responsibilities will pass to Di Fonzo, who has commented: "I consider it a great privilege to continue the path we have built together with Francesco and the Leadership Team over the years, and I am honoured to take on this responsibility, with the goal of further strengthening Flutter's growth in the SEA region, consolidating leadership positions in key markets, and creating new development opportunities for the Group."
The company has stated that this is a crucial period for Flutter SEA and Flutter Entertainment's most senior executives will hope that this disruption doesn't knock them off course.
Sisal is active in Africa through its Sisal Jeux Maroc incorporated brand - it has a concession to operate online and retail sports betting in the country
