Hegarty moved from Paddy Power to Matchbook in 2016 and began by taking over Affiliates and Digital Acquisition, which was followed by becoming Head of Marketing before ranking up to his new CMO role.
Hegarty said: “I'm delighted to take up the role in what is an exciting time for the business. Matchbook is very eager to scale up our marketing activity, with a particular focus on horseracing sponsorship and brand activity; with the aim of increasing awareness of the Matchbook brand and showcasing our product and pricing.”
In terms of sponsorship, Matchbook will be sponsoring five races at Market Rasen on 21 January, with both The Matchbook Best Odds Handicap Hurdle and The Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap Hurdle televised live free-to-air on ITV4.
Matchbook will also be sponsoring the Kingwell Hurdle Day at Wincanton racecourse on 19 February, with all seven races sponsored and the main race, The Grande Two Kingwell Hurdle, live on ITV1.
Hegarty added: “We are delighted to relaunch our horseracing sponsorship portfolio in the UK by supporting these races at Market Rasen and Wincanton. We always welcome extra opportunities to showcase our racing product to a new audience.
“As visible on odds comparison sites daily, our horseracing markets consistently deliver the best value available for all tiers of customers. We would encourage anyone serious about their racing betting, and who likes to get value on their bets, to check out Matchbook.”