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Bookmaker William Hill loses another top executive

By Aastha Agnihotri

(Reuters) - William Hill Plc (WMH.L) said the head of its online operations is leaving the company, joining a slew of other high-profile departures and putting further pressure on Britain's biggest bookmaker.

The loss of Andrew Lee follows the exit of Finance Director Neil Cooper, who left last year to join Barratt Developments (BDEV.L), while Kristof Fahy, the chief marketing officer, joined rival Ladbrokes (LAD.L).

Shares in the company fell as much as 3 percent at one point to a month-low of 357.1 pence.

Lee, a cricket and rugby fan, joined the company in 2012 and was responsible for William Hill's digital arm, having worked as a gambling analyst for over 10 years.

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His departure comes at a time when the tougher regulatory environment and advances in mobile technology are changing the face of the gambling industry, with physical bookmakers' shops closing as companies focus on boosting online sales.

"I am confident that I have the team that I want for William Hill...", William Hill Chief Executive James Henderson told Reuters. He said Lee is going on gardening leave.

Lee will be leaving the business at some point this year, the company said, as it appointed Crispin Nieboer as interim managing director of online operations.

"We thought he could have been a future CEO and therefore his loss is disappointing," analysts at Nomura wrote in a note.

During the quarter, the company launched its new mobile web and iOS app called Project Trafalgar, which faced some issues initially, with analysts citing that as one of the reasons for Lee's exit.

William Hill on Thursday reported 2015 operating profit of about 290 million pounds, in line with market expectations.

The betting group posted full-year online revenue growth of 4 percent to 550.7 million pounds, with revenue at its non-core markets falling 27 percent.

In a report titled 'Under Construction', Numis Securities' analysts said the company's online business is struggling to grow as technology upgrades are being delivered more slowly than expected and in part because of the drag from non-core markets.

The betting group also named Kevin O'Connor as chief information officer. O'Connor joins from S&P Capital IQ and was previously chief information officer at rival Paddy Power (PLSA.I).

By 0851 GMT William Hill shares were down 0.4 percent at 367.6 pence.

(Reporting by Aastha Agnihotri in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)