SRI appoints Fried to lead UK-facing betting and gaming practice

Fried joins SRI having most recently served as executive vice-president of group commercial for cloud communications specialist LoopUp, prior to which he was chief executive and an advisor to luxury travel business Edge Retreats.

He previously spent time in the gambling industry, starting at Betfair as an insight analyst in November 2002, before going on to serve as head of business intelligence, poker operations manager and general manager for poker at Betfair.

After this, Fried went on to found Gaming Edge Associates, a consultancy focused on gaming and gambling. Through Gaming Edge Associates, he advised Microgaming’s poker division and social casino brand Plumbee.

“I am thrilled to be joining SRI. Its deep expertise in sport, entertainment and technology will bring significant value to betting and gaming clients as they are closely aligned sectors in a converging world. Furthermore, our global presence, especially in the US and APac, as well as SRI’s talent consulting capability, will further enhance our offering to clients,” Fried said.

SRI chief executive Jim Chaplin added: “Ben’s knowledge of both B2C and B2B environments and breadth of industry experience are invaluable as he helps leadership teams transform their businesses through talent. 

“Ben’s positive and collaborative approach align with SRI’s culture and values, and he will be a tremendous asset to our firm.”