Paris Smith Pinnacle CEO Steps Down as CEO After 17 Years

Paris Smith, the CEO of betting company Pinnacle, has announced that she will soon be stepping away from her role after 17 years with the betting company.

In a LinkedIn update, Smith announced that she would not be leaving the company, but would instead transition into an advisory role alongside Pinnacle’s Chair and leading investor, Magnus Hedman.

The pair will then focus on nurturing new opportunities for the company, as well as working on some unnamed strategic projects for Pinnacle.

Grown In Both Scope and Size

Reflecting Pinnacle’s change from being a predominantly sports betting site, into being one of the most respected esports betting sites too, Smith commented in her post:

“Throughout my time at Pinnacle, the company has grown in both scope and size, often seeing opportunities to be a market leader. My passion for the industry and people in the industry will never leave me.

“I have focused on building a diverse and experienced management team within Pinnacle that allows me to move into this next phase of my career with the confidence that Pinnacle is in good hands.”

A Change of Focus…

It will be interesting to see what strategic projects Hedman and Smith are going to be focusing on in the near future.

The site already has a number of featured partners including the FACEIT gaming platform, The Flashpoint League and Scandinavian esports team North.

They have also partnered with esports data providers GameScoreKeeper, Abios and Special Effect.

Whether analysing the value of these deals will be part of their remit seems possible, although it may well be more that the duo focus on developing future opportunities for the company, perhaps expanding into fresh and new markets by developing links with other companies.

Smith also mentioned that her “passion for leadership and mentoring will be a focus for me moving forward,” which seems to suggest that she may play a role in the development and training of her successor.

… And a Change of CEO

However, Paris Smith’s move to the advisory role does create a significant void at the very top of Pinnacle at the moment, and while Smith revealed that the search was on to appoint her replacement, as yet there had not been any timescale outlined for her successor to be appointed.

It is generally pretty rare that such a coveted position within the sports betting and esports industry becomes available so there are likely to be no shortages of qualified applicants for the position over the coming days and possibly weeks.

And while Pinnacle remains a site that operates multiple different gambling sites including casino games, virtual sports and more (see our Pinnacle review for more on these), it is likely that the new CEO is going to have to have significant background in esports, given the predicted continued growth of this industry.

Especially in the regions, such as Ontario, where Pinnacle have only recently moved into the market.

Pinnacle Chairman Magnus Hedman stated:

“There’s no question that Paris Smith leaves a lasting legacy in her time as Pinnacle’s CEO, and we thank her for all that she has done. We are excited to be with her as she continues to blaze new trails in what is already a Hall of Fame career.”