Rank Group confirms Richard Harris as permanent chief executive officer

Rank Group has confirmed Richard Harris as its permanent chief executive officer. He has served as interim CEO since January, which brought an end to the company's leadership search following John O'Reilly's retirement.

The appointment takes immediate effect. Harris is now taking on the role permanently after overseeing the business for more than five months on an interim basis. The decision follows a recruitment process led by Rank's nominations committee, chaired by John H Ott, with support from executive search firm MWM Consulting.

According to the company, both internal and external candidates were considered before the board unanimously selected Harris for the position.

Experienced executive steps up

Harris joined Rank Group as chief financial officer in May 2022. He previously held senior finance and leadership positions at consumer-facing businesses including Marks & Spencer, Foxtons and Laird.

While Rank has confirmed Harris' promotion, it has not yet announced who will succeed him as CFO.

"Following a thorough recruitment process which identified a strong field of candidates, the board unanimously agreed that Richard was the outstanding choice." - John H Ott, Chair of Rank Group

Ott added that Harris would lead the company as it works towards its medium-term ambition of generating at least £100 million in operating profit, while also shaping its longer-term strategy.

Building on John O'Reilly's legacy

Harris succeeds John O'Reilly, who retired earlier this year after almost a decade leading the business.

O'Reilly became CEO in 2018 after previously serving as a non-executive director at William Hill and managing director of Coral Interactive within Gala Coral. During his tenure, Rank navigated significant disruption, including the COVID-19 pandemic, while continuing to invest in both its land-based venues and digital operations.

When announcing O'Reilly's retirement in January, Ott praised his leadership and highlighted the strong position in which he was leaving the company.

Momentum continues into the new financial year

Harris said he was looking forward to building on the progress made during his time as CFO.

"Rank is an industry-leading business with a strong portfolio of brands which are synonymous with the UK gaming industry. I am proud of what Rank has achieved during my tenure as CFO, and I look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to drive growth and evolve the group's strategy." - Harris

The leadership announcement follows encouraging financial performance from the Mecca and Grosvenor Casinos owner. Rank recently reported like-for-like net gaming revenue of £205.4 million during the first three months of 2026, leaving the group confident it will exceed its 2024/25 operating profit of £63.7 million when it reports results for the financial year ending 30 June 2026.

With a permanent chief executive now in place, Rank will be hoping to maintain that momentum as it pursues its longer-term profitability targets and continues investing across its retail and online gaming businesses.