Lord Jon Mendelsohn, former Labour Party influence peddler, who was caught in the 1998 “Lobbygate” scandal for boasting to an undercover reporter that he could sell access to government ministers and create tax breaks for their clients, has stepped down–with immediate effect–from his role as Chair and Non-Executive Director with William Hill owner evoke, after five-years with the UK gambling giant.
“Mendy”, as he is known to friend and foe alike, joined the board in September 2020 when evoke was called 888 Holdings, and also served as interim Executive Chair from January to October 2023, following the defenestration of then CEO Itai Pazner, who plunged the FTSE 250 company into massive debt with an over-the-top £2.2 billion (US$2.94bn) purchase of a William Hill that had been gutted of its cutting-edge digital expertise by Caesars International.
Mendelsohn, an intimate of former Labour Party leaders and prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was created the Baron Mendelsohn in September 2013. He founded the lobbying firm LLM Communications in 1997 and has long been a champion of the betting industry.
He has been replaced as evoke’s new Non-Executive Chair by Mark Summerfield, a member of the 888 Holdings/entain Board since 2019 and current Chair of the firm’s Audit & Risk, Gaming Compliance and ESG Committees.
Rebuild
Now headed by softly-softly CEO Per Widerström, who has been successfully rebuilding the company’s morale and profitability in the wake of the Itai Pazner de-stabilization and falling stock value, evoke has also announced the appointment of Anne de Kerckhove as Deputy Chair of the Board, while she continues in her roles as Senior Independent Director, Chair of the Nominations and ESG Committees, and member of the Remuneration Committee.
Recently revealing that it may have to shut a number of its iconic William Hill High Street betting shops if pinned back by big tax hikes, entain has confirmed it will release its Q3 2025 Trading Update this October 28.
“It has been a privilege to serve as the Chair of evoke,” commented Mendelsohn.
“It has been a fantastic experience from shepherding the acquisition of William Hill International through to my tenure as interim Executive Chair and, more recently, working closely with the Board and executive team to develop and articulate evoke’s long-term growth strategy.
Transformation
“Having overseen the transformation of the business into one of the world’s leading betting and gaming companies, now is the right time to hand over to Mark to steward evoke through its next important phase of growth and stability.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved at the Company over the past five years and would like to thank my fellow Board members, the executive team, and the wider organisation for their utmost and unwavering commitment.”
Per Widerström responded: “I would like to thank Jon for his exceptional leadership of the Board and for his support during my transition into the business.
“He has helped to guide the Company through a period of significant growth and transformation and his insight and collaboration will be missed.
“I am looking forward to working with Mark and Anne in their new roles. Mark has such strong and deep institutional knowledge of the Company, the industry and our strategic priorities, and is ideally positioned to lead the Board and the Company through the next period of growth and development.”
Highlights
Added Summerfield: “It has been one of the highlights of my professional career to have partnered with Jon over the past few years and I will miss his dedication and insight.
“I look forward to working closely with my fellow Board members, including Anne as Deputy Chair, and the executive team to ensure the successful delivery of our strategy and create significant shareholder value.”
We at iGamingFuture, with thanks to Barry Manilow, leave our own–albeit paraphrased–musical farewell to one of the now-departed giants of British gambling:
Oh, Mendy!
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mendy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh, Mendy!
I’m standing on the edge of time
I’ve walked away when love was mine
Caught up in a world
Of William Hill climbing
The tears are in my eyes
And nothing is rhyming.
Oh Mendy!
