Member Article

Former Alea Casino venue director joins brand agency as head of corporate development

Leading East Midlands brand agency Champions (UK) plc has appointed a new head of corporate development as it looks to build on its success into 2020.

Steve Glynn, well known to the East Midlands business community from his previous role as Nottingham’s Alea Casino venue director, has been tempted out of retirement to join the Champions team.

Steve, 58, will be responsible for growing the agency’s presence in London as well as continuing to expand its footprint across the East Midlands by seeking out new business opportunities.

His successful career saw him spend 30 years working in London in high profile roles in many of the capital’s most iconic casinos. Some of the prestigious venues Steve has overseen include The Ritz, 50 St James, Empire Casino and Les Ambassadeurs, in Mayfair.

He also spent time in South Africa working at Johannesburg’s Emerald Resort and Casino. He latterly held the top job at Alea Casino, where he oversaw the introduction of the venue’s private dining suite.

Steve will now be using his invaluable experience in the casino industry and his knowledge and contacts in the business world in his new role at Champions.

“Having previously been a client of Champions I know exactly about the benefits and support that the company can offer,” he said.

“With this in mind it was an easy decision to come on board. I’ve been retired for the last 13 months but missed the buzz of the working world. With this in mind I jumped at the chance when this opportunity with Champions became available to me.

“I’ll be using my knowledge of the business communities Champions operates in as well as the relationships I’ve made from my time in the casino industry to help us continue to succeed in this new decade.”

His appointment comes as Champions continues to expand its offering, with the agency opening a new £1m digital centre in November.

The agency’s CEO, John Hayes, said Steve’s appointment was another example of the fantastic growth that the firm has achieved in recent years.

“We’ve worked alongside Steve for many years during his career in the casino industry and I’m thrilled to see him join us in this new role,” he said.

“The last year has seen us reach more than 130 members of staff and open our new state-of-the-art media centre which will help us enhance the digital services we offer to our clients. Having Steve join us signals our intent to continue to grow and his experience and expertise will be vital as we look to expand in areas we already have a presence.”

Champions was founded in 2003 by John, Donna and Matthew Hayes. Matthew is the company’s managing director and his four siblings Louisa, Sophia, Roxanna and Jack are also family members on the company’s board.

The last year has seen over 50 new members of staff join the agency which continues to grow its enviable client base. It does this by focusing on ten fields of specialism which include creative, digital, marketing, PR, media, events, publishing, advertising, celebrity and web.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Ford .