Cole-Johnson joins Bede from Entain plc, where he was Gaming Product Director. Bringing with him over 20 years of experience, Cole-Johnson has been a major figure in the online gaming industry with director-level roles at some of the sector's biggest operators including, Ladbrokes, William Hill and The Rank Group.

His appointment to the leadership role at Bede Gaming is the latest in a series of notable announcements from the software supplier, which became part of the Gauselmann Group in March 2020.

Since 2011, Bede has proven its strength in the provision of digital technology for the online gaming industry. In the past five years, as well as becoming part of the German international conglomerate, Bede has grown to over 250 staff, established offices in multiple locations and has customers across three continents. As well as counting one of the world's largest lottery and gaming organisations amongst its customers, Bede now boasts the handling of over £50bn in annual stakes through its platform, highlighting the company's impressive growth in recent years.

Coupling this solid technical foundation with Cole-Johnson's commercial & customer expertise will build upon Bede's recent global expansion and enable the software supplier to evolve its premium platform offering into the ultimate operator-focussed product.

Colin Cole-Johnson, commented, "It's a proud moment for me.  Bede is a company that I've gotten to know well and admire over a significant period, so this is a brilliant opportunity to join and lead a strong team with a proven track record.  Their achievements over recent years speak for themselves and the potential for the future is really exciting."

The appointment of Cole-Johnson further cements Bede's position among the industry's technology elite and reinforces the stature of the business' digital offering. Bringing in a CEO with significant operator experience indicates Bede's ambitions to build the best possible product for customers.

Joe Saumarez Smith, Chairman, Bede Gaming added, "We are delighted that Colin has agreed to become CEO of Bede. He is an industry leading executive with a proven track record at some of the biggest gaming companies in the world. He already knows Bede's industry-leading platform from his days as a client and we have no doubt that he will help the company further grow its position as the first choice gaming platform in regulated markets. On behalf of everyone at Bede Gaming and the Gauselmann Group, I am excited to welcome Colin to the team."

Cole-Johnson's new role takes effect from 4 April 2022; Bede's current Managing Director, Alex Butcher, will become a non-executive director.