h bookmaker BoyleSports has confirmed the appointment of Conor Gray as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing his father-in-law and BoyleSports founder John Boyle.

Gray initially joined the company in 2001 as a trainee cashier in its Baggot Road, Dublin branch, before moving to the BoyleSports Information and Media headquarters at Dundalk in 2003, and then occupying several senior roles across the company.

In 2013, Gray moved to Asia to head up the business development arm of BoyleSports, before returning to the BoyleSports head office in January 2014 to take up the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Conor Gray is married to Kerry Boyle, one of John Boyle’s three daughters, all of whom hold senior executive roles at BoyleSports.

The news comes a month after company founder John Boyle announced that he was to step down from the post of Chief Executive, 35 years after founding the bookmaker.

In an interview with Irish media outlet RTE, John Boyle said: “After 35 years building BoyleSports from one shop into Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker, it would not be possible to step back if I were not confident that I was handing the reins to the right person.

"In Conor, I am confident I have a successor who can bring not only experience and expertise but also a passion for all things related to bookmaking in general and BoyleSports in particular.”