Changing lives every day

On 1 February 2024, Allwyn UK took over as the operator of The National Lottery. Allwyn’s ambition is to offer more games, attract more players, inject more entertainment, create more winners, and raise more money for National Lottery-funded projects. 

Since its inception in 1994, The National Lottery has been a transformational force for good, changing lives every day.  It has made a huge and measurable difference to life across the UK – not just for the millions of winners who have been awarded over £95 billion in prizes, including more than 7,400 millionaires made – but in generating over £50 billion for more than 700,000 community, sport, arts and heritage projects across the UK. Allwyn UK is committed to building on this legacy. 

Our ambitions

To provide more games, more players, more entertainment, more winners, and more money for National Lottery-funded projects.

Over the course of our 10-year licence period we plan to double returns to National Lottery-funded projects.

Our strategy

We will attract new players, and bring back those who have stopped playing, by ensuring our games, marketing and player experience feel relevant to today’s consumers and recapture the magic of The National Lottery.

We have a strong focus on modernising The National Lottery over the course of the 10-year licence, with significant investment in technology and data to deliver better player experiences, better player protection and a more up-to-date operating platform.

Some of the changes we make will be noticed by players, but many of the changes will take place in the background, including technology and new terminals in shops to enable us to fully deliver on our plans.

Proud to be part of
something bigger

Allwyn Group (“Allwyn”) is a leading multi-national lottery operator.

We believe that lotteries can transform lives and life chances. Playing the lottery captures our imagination – it’s entertaining and can have a positive impact on society.

That’s why our mission is to build thriving lotteries, underpinned by innovation and player safety that is fit for the digital age. 

We are a trusted partner in all the countries in which we operate.

Every day, we are pioneering approaches to create more modern, inclusive and impactful lotteries for the future. Our ambition is to be the lottery operator of choice.

Meet the team

We have brought together an impressive leadership team with extensive experience in the UK’s lottery, retail, gaming, digital, entertainment and charity sectors. You can read more about our governance here.

Andria Vidler

Chief Executive Officer

Andria Vidler is the CEO of Allwyn. Andria was formerly EMEA CEO at Tag Worldwide, a global marketing production business, having previously held the position of CEO of EMI in the UK and Ireland. Andria was formerly CEO of Centaur Media, as well as holding senior roles at Capital Radio, Bauer Media and the BBC.

Alan Artz

Chief Financial Officer

Alan Artz, Chief Financial Officer, joined Allwyn and Camelot in 2023 in a dual role to support the smooth transition between the Third and Fourth National Lottery licences. Al joined from William Hill where he served as the CFO for the online business and, more recently, also took ownership of the retail business. Al previously held senior finance roles in a number of blue-chip companies including Sky, BT and Barclays.

Chris Lyman

Chief Customer Officer

Chris Lyman, Chief Customer Officer, joins Allwyn from Lotto New Zealand where he served as Chief Executive since 2018. Prior to that, Chris was formerly the Chief Operating Officer for five years. During his tenure, Lotto New Zealand has embraced digital play, and experienced record levels of growth. Chris previously held a number of roles in UK retail, specialising in channel growth and operations. Chris is accountable for leading all aspects of lottery business operations (retail and digital) for Allwyn in the Fourth Licence, as well as overseeing the delivery of Allwyn’s transformation programme.

Samantha Sheriff

Chief People & Places Officer

Samantha Sheriff, Chief People & Places Officer at Allwyn, previously served as Chief People Officer at both Allwyn and at Camelot during 2023, taking on a dual role to support the smooth transition from the Third to the Fourth National Lottery Licence. Sam previously worked in senior People leadership roles across retail, professional services, software and technology, construction and luxury hospitality.

Alastair Ruxton

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

Alastair Ruxton, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Allwyn, previously led the delivery of Allwyn’s successful bid to operate the Fourth National Lottery. Alastair was previously a member of the London 2012 bid team and worked with the Organising Committee for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from start to finish. Alastair originally trained as a lawyer.

Mark Smith

Chief Technology Officer

Mark Smith, Chief Technology Officer, previously served as Chief Technology Officer at ITV, spearheading the launch of ITV Hub and more recently ITVX. Mark was previously at the BBC, with responsibility for the build and running of BBC iPlayer, and Director of Online Delivery and Operations at Sky where he worked across a wide range of consumer facing digital services.

Mark Hughes

Chief Security Officer

Mark Hughes, Chief Security Officer, leads all areas of security for The National Lottery - this includes information security, game platform security and physical security. Mark was previously Chief Information Security Officer at Smart DCC, the organisation responsible for the secure and interoperable communication network that supports the rollout of smart meters across the UK.

Harry Willits

General Counsel

Harry Willits, General Counsel, joined Allwyn in 2022. Harry has held a series of senior legal roles in the leisure and entertainment industry, including serving as Group General Counsel at William Hill, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Gala Coral Group and General Counsel and Company Secretary at Luminar Plc. Harry was previously Head of Leisure at law firm, Wragge & Co.

Justin King CBE

Chair

Justin King leads Allwyn UK’s Board and spearheads the company’s efforts to reinvigorate and improve lotteries. One of the best-known names in British retail, Justin has been a leader and innovator in customer-facing businesses for over three decades.

Lord Sebastian Coe

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, Allwyn UK Board Member

Sebastian Coe has been President of World Athletics since 2015 and was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee in July 2020. He serves as Non-Executive Chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment within the Chime Communications group; a Non-Executive Director of the Vitality companies; a Non-Executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group; a Non-Executive Director of Allwyn Entertainment AG; and a Non-Executive Director of the British Olympic Association.

Sharon Doherty

Non-Executive Director, Allwyn UK Board Member

Sharon Doherty currently works as the Chief People and Places Officer at Lloyds Banking Group and brings significant executive experience from organisations with large, diverse workforces in the technology, telecommunications, and aviation sectors from her roles at Finastra, Vodafone and BAA Heathrow Airport. Sharon will work closely with Allwyn‘s Chief People Officer and Chief Social Value Officer.

Victoria McKenzie-Gould

Non-Executive Director, Allwyn UK Board Member

Victoria McKenzie-Gould brings experience of working across complex stakeholder environments, including during her time as a Special Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair. She has since worked in corporate affairs leadership roles in high-profile, consumer facing brands undergoing significant change, such as Tesco and Britvic PLC, and currently works as the Corporate Affairs Director at Marks & Spencer PLC.

Robert Chvatal

Allwyn UK Board Member, Allwyn Group CEO

Robert Chvátal is a member of the Board of the Company and has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Group since 2021. Robert is also a member of the board of directors of individual companies that belong to the Group, including OPAP, and serves on the supervisory boards of CASAG and Austrian Lotteries.

Katarina Kohlmayer

Allwyn UK Board Member

Katarina Kohlmayer is a member of the Board of the Company and has been CFO of KKCG since joining in 2014. Katarina oversees the Company’s capital markets and other financing activities, M&A and accounting, control and audit operations within the KKCG Group.

Kenneth Morton

Allwyn UK Board Member

Kenneth Morton has been the Chief Financial Officer of Allwyn since 2020, prior to which he was the Head of Corporate Finance at KKCG since 2019. Ken has spent more than 18 years in various corporate finance positions and has extensive experience in capital markets and M&A.

Pavel Saroch

Allwyn UK Board Member

Pavel Saroch is a member of the Board of the Company and has been CIO of KKCG since 2010, having joined KKCG in 2008. Pavel is also a member of the board of directors of KKCG, and of individual companies that belong to the Group, including OPAP and SAZKA a.s., as well as serving on the supervisory boards of CASAG and Austrian Lotteries.

Simon Burke

Independent Non-Executive Director, Allwyn UK Board Member

Simon Burke is a chartered accountant with over 30 years’ experience in the consumer, retail and leisure sectors. He is currently Chairman of Bakkavor Group Plc, Blue Diamond Group and The Light Cinema Group.

Adrian Joseph OBE

Independent Non-Executive Director, Allwyn UK Board Member

Attributed with blending the technical art of the possible with business context, Adrian Joseph OBE is one of the UK’s leading applied data and AI focussed technologists with over 20 years’ experience in AI, big data, cloud, analytics and digital strategy.