Harper will take up the post at Grosvenor Casinos on Monday.

UK.- Rank Group Plc has announced the appointment of Mark Harper as managing director of its casino brand Grosvenor Casinos. He will take up the position on Monday (August 14) and will serve on the group’s executive committee.

Harper replaces Debbie Husband, who has been at Rank for five years. He has previously served as an operating partner of William Pears Group’s Pears Partnership Capital, overseeing its leisure and hospitality portfolio.

He will oversee the continuation of Grosvenor Casino’s post-pandemic business reorganisation. Rank noted his experience in transformation projects for Allied Domecq and Bourne Leisure.

Rank CEO John O’Reilly said: “Mark is a hugely experienced hospitality and leisure operator with an extensive track record of success in transforming and leading businesses. I am very much looking forward to working with him, and I am confident that Rank will greatly benefit from his expertise.

“Mark joins us at an exciting time for the land-based casino industry following the recent publication of the government’s White Paper on gambling reform. We have tremendous talent in the Grosvenor business, and Mark will help us to maximize the opportunities that are becoming available to us.”

Harper said: “I am thrilled to be joining Rank and Grosvenor Casinos at such an important time for the UK casino sector. I am looking forward to working with John and the senior team at Rank and touring the Grosvenor estate to see the business in operation, and meeting the front-line teams.”

Last month, Rank Group announced that it has appointed Sam Allanson as CFO for Rank Interactive. Allanson joins Rank from Entain, where he served in the same role after the company, then called GVC, merged with Ladbrokes Coral.

At Ladbrokes, he served as commercial finance director. Before that, he worked in senior finance positions at Sky. Allanson will work in Gibraltar and will report to Rank Group CFO Richard Harris.