Stella David

Stella David currently serves as CEO of Entain, a global sports betting and gaming group that has been a constituent of the FTSE 100 for six years and is set to move to the FTSE 250 on 21 September 2026.

Who is Stella David?

David has built a career spanning more than four decades across spirits, retail, entertainment and, more recently, regulated gaming. Before Entain, she spent more than 15 years at Bacardi, rising to become Global CMO, and later served as CEO of William Grant & Sons between 2009 and 2016.

Education

David studied engineering at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 1985. Rather than pursuing a technical career, she moved into marketing, beginning a corporate career that would eventually take her to senior leadership roles before entering the gambling industry.

Career journey

David began her corporate career at Bacardi, where she held a number of roles over more than 15 years, including Regional President and Senior VP & CMO, until 2009.

That same year, she was appointed CEO of William Grant & Sons, an international spirits company, a position she held until 2016, leading growth across the group's premium and luxury brands.

Between 2012 and 2021, she served as Non-Executive Director of C&J Clark, and between July 2018 and February 2019 also took on the role of Interim CEO of the footwear company.

Alongside this, she built an extensive career as a non-executive director: Nationwide Building Society (2003–2010), New Look Retail Group (2010), HomeServe UK (2011–2022), Domino's Pizza (2021–2023) and Bacardi, where she has served as Non-Executive Director since 2016. In 2023, she chaired Vue International for a year.

Since August 2024, she has also chaired the Board of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, having served as a non-executive director of the cruise line since 2017.

David joined Entain as Senior Independent Director in February 2021. In December 2023, she was appointed Interim CEO following the departure of Jette Nygaard-Andersen, a role she held until September 2024, when she moved into the Chair Designate position. In February 2025, following Gavin Isaacs' departure, she stepped back in as Interim CEO, before being confirmed as permanent CEO on 29 April 2025.

Key achievements

Entain's share price rose 7.6% following the announcement of David's permanent appointment, as investors responded positively to the leadership change.

In the first quarter of 2025, Entain reported an 11% year-on-year increase in Net Gaming Revenue, including its share of BetMGM. Entain generated £5.26bn ($7.1m) in revenue in 2025, while Net Gaming Revenue reached £5.33bn.

Under her leadership, the company has advanced the simplification of its operating model, tightened cost control, and reaffirmed its focus on regulated markets, while also restructuring its compliance function.

Regulatory history

Entain faces active regulatory challenges across several jurisdictions. In December 2024, Australian regulator Austrac took legal action against the company over alleged failures in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing controls, a front David inherited upon taking the helm, an issue which is still in progress.

Despite this backdrop, Entain continues to operate as one of the leading regulated betting and gaming groups globally, with a growing focus on the United States through BetMGM.

Leadership style

David's leadership style combines discipline, governance and operational execution, forged over more than two decades moving between executive and non-executive roles across strikingly different industries.

She is described as a measured and discreet leader, recognized internally for clear communication and decisive execution, qualities that allowed her to provide continuity for Entain through two leadership transitions in under eighteen months.