Rank Group appoints Richard Harris as permanent CEO after interim stint
2026-07-13
Rank Group has made Richard Harris its permanent CEO, effective immediately, after he served as interim CEO since January 2026 following John O'Reilly's retirement. Harris, formerly CFO, was chosen unanimously by the board after a search that considered internal and external candidates, and the company reaffirmed its medium-term target of at least £100m operating profit.
The Rank Group has confirmed Richard Harris as its permanent chief executive officer, effective immediately, following a six-month interim tenure that began after the retirement of former CEO John O'Reilly in January 2026.
Harris, who originally joined the Rank board as chief financial officer in May 2022, was selected through an executive search overseen by the company's nominations committee, chaired by John Ott, and supported by independent advisory firm MWM Consulting. The committee evaluated both internal and external candidates before reaching a unanimous decision in favour of Harris.
Transition and background
O'Reilly stepped down in January after leading the London-listed operator of Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca bingo for nearly eight years. At the time, Ott praised O'Reilly's "extensive gambling industry knowledge and experience" for positioning the company to build on its established direction.
Prior to joining Rank, Harris held senior roles at consumer-facing companies Marks & Spencer, Foxtons and Laird. The company has not yet announced a permanent replacement for his former CFO position, with Cliff Baty currently serving as interim CFO, according to regulatory filings. Other recent leadership changes include John H. Ott succeeding Alex Thursby as chair in November 2025 and the appointment of former Allwyn UK operations director Jenny Blogg as chief commercial officer in February 2026.
Strategic outlook and financial performance
Ott said the board unanimously agreed Harris was "the outstanding choice" following a thorough process, and expressed confidence in Harris's ability to lead Rank towards its medium-term objective of generating at least £100m operating profit and developing a longer-term strategy.
Harris commented: "Rank is an industry-leading business with a strong portfolio of brands which are synonymous with the UK gaming industry. I am proud of what Rank has achieved during my tenure as CFO, and I look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to drive growth and evolve the group's strategy."
Rank reported like-for-like net gaming revenue of £205.4m for the first three months of the current fiscal year, with profit conversion during the period positioning the company to exceed the £63.7m adjusted operating profit recorded in FY25-26 (ending 30 June 2026). The company is due to publish full-year results on 13 August and has forecast like-for-like underlying operating profit of at least £68m, up from earlier guidance of £65m. Rank's share price rose 0.5% on the day of the announcement but remains down 34.2% year-on-year.