Paddy Power’s group general counsel Ed Traynor will continue to head up the company’s legal function after its merger with Betfair, while the latter’s legal chief Fiona Russell has left the group.
Traynor became Paddy Power’s general counsel in April last year, joining from Vodafone Ireland.
He is based in Dublin and the decision has been made to keep the gambling company’s legal heads in Paddy Power’s Irish operational headquarters following its tie-up with Betfair.
As a result, Betfair’s London-based chief legal officer Fiona Russell has decided to move on from the merged company, although her destination is unknown.
She has held several positions at Betfair in the last 10 years, including international legal counsel and director of regulatory affairs. Russell then became chief legal officer and company secretary in 2013, replacing legal director Justin Hubble.
The newly-named Paddy Power Betfair continues to have lawyers based around the world, including London, Malta and Spain.
They will report to Dublin-based Traynor and director of internal audit and compliance Tanya Horgan, after the team was split into two post-merger. One group covers legal and regulatory issues specifically, while the other handles compliance and anti-money laundering.
Arthur Cox, Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer all won top roles on the merger between Betfair and Paddy Power last summer. It has since entered into the FTSE 100 index on the London Stock Exchange.