Fred Done has appointed a new chief executive at Betfred, with Joanne Whittaker set to take up the role next month.
Done, who turned 78 last Friday, is to remain as chairman of the bookmaker and told staff on Wednesday that he was “going absolutely nowhere”.
Whittaker, 43, had been head of IT at Betfred’s Warrington base before founding childcare voucher provider Fideliti in 2005, helped by an investment in return for a 25 per cent share in the business from Done. In the year to March 2019, Fideliti had turnover of more than £83 million and pre-tax profits of £1.7m.
Whittaker has also set up two further businesses backed by Done, a debt advice service called Angel Advance and loans company Workplace Finance.
