Strive Gaming appoint Andrew Holmes as new COO

Leading North American iGaming platform further expands management team by appointing experienced industry veteran to key role

Strive Gaming, the first platform business specifically set up to satisfy the modern, multi-state requirements of gambling operators across the US and Canada, has announced that it will be further strengthening its senior leadership team with the appointment of Andrew Holmes as COO.

Andrew joins Strive having previously accumulated over two decades’ worth of experience in the fields of banking, eCommerce and B2C gaming, meaning he’ll be well-positioned to lend his considerable industry know-how to helping the brand develop its leading sports, racing and casino betting services.

In his most recent former role, Andrew served as Vice President of Product at TwinSpires, the online betting arm of world-renowned racing and casino company, Churchill Downs Inc.

Prior to that, Andrew recorded notable successes with unicorn business such as DocuSign – where he spent two years as Director of Product Management – and built up considerable MarTech experience in Silicon Valley, London and Melbourne. In that time, he also served as COO for small businesses like Zorhub, enabling him to bring a relevant and highly specialised skill-set to his new position with Strive.

In his new role as COO, Andrew will from part of a highly-decorated management quartet that includes CEO Max Meltzer, President and CCO Damian Xuereb and CTO Jesse Cary. He’ll work out of the business’ main office in Vancouver – which is situated on Burrard Street in the heart of the city’s financial district – and will play a key role in developing Strive’s real money iGaming platform while preparing for future regulatory changes across the US and Canada.

To facilitate the transition, Andrew will also be reunited with former Churchill Downs colleague and Wynn Interactive employee, Corey Loye, who joined Strive as Head of Product last month. Loye is known for his extensive experience in US and Canadian operations and will join a decorated senior staff team who’ve also worked at other leading operators such as Bally’s and Rush Street Interactive.

Max Meltzer, Chief Executive Office at Strive Gaming, said: “Appointing Andrew as our new COO represents another significant step forward for Strive Gaming as we continue to deliver on our promise of becoming the leading B2B real money iGaming platform in North America.

“Andrew’s blend of experience across multiple industries such as gaming and finance – where he has worked on everything from unicorn-large business to small and mid-level business – plus his involvement in product and operations roles at C-level has convinced me he’ll be an ideal fit for this role. As we continue to evolve, I’m sure he’ll demonstrate leadership excellence from our main Vancouver office and across our global, 24/7 operations to further enhance our service to customers.”

Andrew Holmes, Chief Operating Office at Strive Gaming, said: “Joining Strive as COO represents the culmination of an incredible few years within the iGaming industry for me on a personal level. I already see the business as the market leading platform in the US and Canada and I’m very much looking forward to doing everything I can to cement that status through product and operational excellence.
“It’s an incredibly exciting challenge for me to be joining Strive at such a crucial time for the business, but I believe with the industry experience I can bring to the role plus the support of such an incredible team, we can achieve our ambitions and make 2022 a truly ground-breaking year for the company.”