Swiss-based lotteries giant Allwyn has made a fresh appointment to its leadership team, hiring Xenia Olajosova as Group Media Director.
Olajosova joins Allwyn from global HealthTech BD, where she led the Centre of Excellence for Marketing Communication.
The company said that she brings “substantial international experience across marketing, media and transformation”.
It looks to be Olajosova’s first role in the lottery and gambling industries, having had previous marketing roles at Procter and Gamble, Duracell and Galderma.
Initially, her role will involve building and delivering the group’s media strategy and supporting digital growth through leveraging Allwyn’s global scale.
“I am truly excited to join Allwyn at such an important moment in its journey,” said Olajosova.
“I look forward to working closely with colleagues across the group and our markets to bring more consistency, shared learning and value to our brand and product ambitions, while continuing to respect the local expertise and flexibility that make our teams so effective.”
Another change at Allwyn
The arrival of Olajosova follows the departure of Allwyn UK Chief Operating Officer Chris Lyman.
Allwyn has been ramping up its UK operations since taking on the National Lottery Licence in 2024.
Powerball has recently made its debut away from US shores, landing in the UK last month.
Despite the National Lottery proving a costly burden in ways to Allwyn, the business is still set for growth globally.
Continental Europe GGR came in at €1.18bn for the first quarter of 2026, up 7% from €1.1bn in Q1 2025, and net revenue hit €754m, up from €719m the previous year.
Olajosova’s appointment shows that the company does not plan on slowing down, however, as it looks to capitalise on further potential growth.
Its scope remains global, however, with the merger with Greek firm OPAP last year setting it up as the world’s largest listed lottery business and one of the largest listed gambling businesses.
It also entered new fields via last year’s acquisition of PrizePicks, one of the biggest daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators in the country and a newcomer to the growing prediction markets sector.
Tatiana Jouanneau, Group Chief Brand Officer, Allwyn, added: “Xenia joins at a pivotal time for Allwyn as we continue to invest in our global brand, including the recent appointment of Forsman & Bodenfors as our global creative agency.
“She brings strong experience leading large-scale media transformation programmes across complex, multi-market organisations, building strong governance and driving measurable business impact.
“I am confident that her leadership will play an important role in strengthening our media capability and supporting our ambition to build one of the world’s most distinctive entertainment brands through a more integrated, effective and measurable global media programme.”