Key points:
- Six members of Kindred’s Board of Directors have resigned, including the Chairman
- FDJ has appointed three new directors to Kindred’s Board
- Pascal Chaffard has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Board
Kindred Group has announced a significant reshuffling of its Board of Directors following the successful acquisition by La Française des Jeux (FDJ).
As of 14 October 2024, six directors, including Chairman Evert Carlsson, have resigned from their positions.
These resignations follow FDJ’s public offer for Kindred, which resulted in FDJ acquiring more than 90% of the company's shares.
The resigning members include Evert Carlsson, James H Gemmel, Cédric Boireau, Andrew McCue, Jonas Jansson and Kenneth Shea.
Two directors, Heidi Skogster and Martin Randel, will remain in their roles until Kindred’s next annual general meeting in 2025.
In response to these departures, Kindred’s Board has appointed three new directors: Pascal Chaffard, Edeline Minaire and Célia Vérot.
These appointments were made at the proposal of FDJ and will be in place until the next annual general meeting in 2025. Pascal Chaffard has also been elected as the new Chairperson of the Board.
The company’s governance structure has been updated as part of these changes. The Audit Committee will now consist of Heidi Skogster (Chairperson), Martin Randel and Edeline Minaire.
The Remuneration Committee will include Pascal Chaffard (Chairperson), Martin Randel and Heidi Skogster.
Good to know: Following the completion of the tender offer, FDJ will implement a squeeze-out procedure to acquire the remaining shares, with the offer period extended until 18 October 2024
This Board restructuring follows FDJ’s acquisition of Kindred Group, which secured 90.66% of the company’s shares by 2 October 2024. The nearly €2.5bn ($2.7bn) acquisition extends FDJ’s reach in the European online gambling market, combining its existing lottery and sports betting operations with Kindred’s brands, including Unibet and 32Red.
The new directors bring significant experience from their roles at FDJ. Pascal Chaffard has held various senior positions at FDJ since joining the company in 1994, including his current role as Executive VP of Finance, Performance and Strategy.
Edeline Minaire has served as Finance Director at FDJ since 2019, while Célia Vérot became FDJ’s Chief Regulation Officer in May 2024.
