FanDuel hands new senior HR role to Cooney

Sports betting and daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel Group has appointed Lainie Cooney to its newly created role of chief people officer.

Based at the FanDuel office in Los Angeles, California, Cooney will now lead the development and execution of the operator’s global human resources strategy, reporting to CEO Matt King.

Cooney joins Paddy Power Betfair-owned FanDuel having spent more than 25 years designing and executing human resource strategies across a range of businesses and organisations.

She was most recently chief human resources officer at US meal-kit delivery service Blue Apron, leading a nationwide HR team of 60 people across business units and having responsibility for all aspects of the people strategy.

Prior to this, Cooney was chief human resources officer at specialty food distributor DPI Specialty Foods and also spent time a vice-president of human resources at State Street Investment Management Services.

“Lainie brings a passion for our business and a wealth of experience we can benefit from, and I am excited to add her to the senior leadership team,” King said. “As FanDuel continues to grow globally, Lainie’s expertise will be invaluable.”

The appointment comes as FanDuel continues to seek expansion opportunities in the growing US regulated sports betting market.

FanDuel, with partner Meadowlands Racetrack, was in February ranked as the top sports betting operator in New Jersey, accounting for $8.1m (£6.2m/€7.2m) of the state’s $12.7m total sports wagering revenue for the month.

Last month, FanDuel also rolled out its sports betting services in Pennsylvania, through a partnership with Boyd Gaming's Valley Forge Casino Resort near Philadelphia. FanDuel was already active in the state’s fantasy sports market.