Future Anthem welcomes ex-Ladbrokes and Gaming Realms executive Laura Bird as Chief Financial Officer

Future Anthem, the pioneering AI and data science powerhouse, has appointed Laura Bird as its first-ever Chief Financial Officer as the company continues its ambitious expansion plans in Europe and North America.

Bird brings a wealth of experience to the company and will proactively assist in overseeing Future Anthem’s growth. Her day-to-day role will see her spearhead the company’s financial planning and decide on investment strategies alongside CEO Leigh Nissim and the board.

She joins Future Anthem with fifteen years’ experience within finance, including several years at operator giant Ladbrokes. As Digital Financial Controller she led the integration of the Ladbrokes and Coral digital businesses and the transition of processes from London to Gibraltar.

She began her career at BDO LLP and has since worked for Ocado, NBC Universal and Gaming Realms, among other roles.

Bird said: “I am delighted to have become part of the Future Anthem family. Having spent many years working within the industry it’s abundantly clear to me that this is a hugely exciting company with ambitions to match my own. I could not be happier to be able to play a part in this ongoing journey.”

Future Anthem CEO Leigh Nissim, added: “Future Anthem has a very clear growth plan that we are delivering on and which is allowing us to attract the best talent from the industry and beyond.

“Laura has a highly tuned commercial approach that will unlock value and potential across the business and for our partners, helping drive us forward as we continue our expansion into 2023. Appointing her as our Chief Financial Officer is a real statement of intent.”

Future Anthem has grown its workforce by 30% in the last 12 months, including the appointment of Emma Ferguson as Head of People, Matt Nichols as General Manager of the Americas and Ian Tibot as Chief Product Officer.