Sazka Group has announced the addition of Brent Hoberman CBE to an advisory board that will provide support to Sir Keith Mills and a wider team as part of the company’s bid for the Fourth UK National Lottery Licence.
Hoberman, a tech entrepreneur, will advise primarily on the seamless integration and management of technology and digital innovation across Sazka’s plans for the National Lottery.
The bid advisory board, which added Justin King as its retail advisor last week, will comprise experts from a range of fields including good causes, player protection and entertainment.
Hoberman will work closely with Mills and the Sazka team to help ensure that the National Lottery is fit for purpose for the 21st century.
The team will draw on his expertise in tech innovation to improve the customer experience, help to enable better safeguards around player participation, to support the regulator and the distributors, and to strengthen the work in funding good causes.
Commenting on his appointment, Hoberman said: “Britain needs a National Lottery that is digital-first, technologically-sound, and accessible and relevant to disparate audiences who are accustomed to consuming their media and entertainment across many different channels.
“I see so much untapped potential, and by teaming up with Sazka Group, a global leader in lottery technology, I’m confident we can build a world-class National Lottery that sets the standard for the way all other lotteries around the world operate in the 21st century.”
As one of Britain’s leading technology entrepreneurs, Hoberman brings a wealth of experience from building some of the world’s brightest tech start-ups. In 1998 he founded lastminute.com, which was later sold to Sabre in 2005 for $1.1bn.
The tech entrepreneur subsequently set up and continues to serve as the executive chairman of Founders Factory and Founders Forum where he has partnered with the world’s best founders and corporates to build, fund, and scale ambitious and game-changing start-ups worldwide.
Sazka’s UK Bid Chair, Sir Keith Mills, added: “Brent Hoberman has a remarkable record of building innovative technology for the betterment of a number of sectors.
“His expertise and entrepreneurial mindset will help us in our efforts to overhaul The National Lottery’s approach to digital innovation, ensuring that this institution is future-proofed so it can quickly integrate new technologies.
“With Brent on board, Sazka Group will be a proactive operator that embraces technology to improve the digital experience, while always safeguarding players.”
Back in November, Sazka continued to build its consortium for the Fourth National Lottery License Competition by confirming four new UK hires for its transition, procurement, supply chain and data network teams in London.