Background
Paddy Power Betfair (now Flutter Entertainment) is one of the world's leading sports betting and gaming companies, operating a portfolio of internationally recognised brands across retail, online and mobile platforms. With thousands of employees and offices throughout Europe, the business supports millions of customers through innovative technology, digital products and a rapidly evolving workplace environment.
As the organisation continued its international expansion, Paddy Power Betfair appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit several senior Workplace, Corporate Real Estate and Health & Safety leaders. These appointments were business-critical, supporting the organisation's global workplace strategy, operational governance and continued growth.
The assignments included:
- Senior Workspace Manager – Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE)
- Head of Health, Safety & Quality Assurance (HSQA)
- Senior Manager – Corporate Real Estate, Contracts & Services
These were highly specialised appointments requiring experienced leaders capable of operating across multiple international locations.
The Challenge
Each position carried significant strategic responsibility and required professionals capable of operating within a fast-moving, international corporate environment.
Senior Workspace Manager – HSSE
Reporting to the Head of European Workspace, this role provided strategic leadership for Health, Safety, Security and Environmental compliance across an extensive international office portfolio.
The remit included workplaces in:
- London
- Dublin
- Malta
- Porto
- Barcelona
- Milan
- Sofia
- Cluj
- Denmark
- Halifax
- Scotland
Responsibilities included:
- Developing global HSSE strategy.
- Implementing policies and governance frameworks.
- Driving best practice across international offices.
- Supporting workplace risk management.
- Ensuring legislative compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
- Promoting a positive safety culture throughout the organisation.
Head of HSQA
This senior leadership role was responsible for shaping the organisation's overall Health, Safety and Quality Assurance strategy.
Key responsibilities included:
- Developing occupational Health & Safety policies.
- Managing compliance programmes.
- Delivering training and awareness initiatives.
- Monitoring regulatory performance.
- Driving continuous improvement across workplace standards.
- Providing strategic advice to senior leadership.
Senior Manager – Corporate Real Estate, Contracts & Services
Reporting into the Head of Corporate Real Estate & Workplace Management, this appointment focused on commercial oversight across the international property portfolio.
Responsibilities included:
- Managing strategic supplier contracts.
- Leading procurement activities.
- Negotiating service agreements.
- Delivering value and cost optimisation initiatives.
- Supporting Corporate Real Estate projects.
- Developing contract governance frameworks.
- Advising operational teams on commercial matters.
Together, these appointments played a pivotal role in supporting the organisation's international growth and workplace strategy.
Our Approach
Given the seniority and international scope of these appointments, Maxwell Stephens undertook a highly targeted executive search programme across the UK and Europe.
Working closely with the leadership team, we developed a detailed understanding of both the technical requirements and the organisational culture to ensure every shortlist combined experience, leadership capability and cultural alignment.
Our search focused on professionals with expertise in:
- Corporate Real Estate.
- Global Workplace Services.
- Health, Safety & Environmental Management.
- International Facilities Management.
- Contract and supplier management.
- Procurement and commercial governance.
- Multi-site operational leadership.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Strategic workplace transformation.
In addition to technical capability, candidates were assessed for their ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead geographically dispersed teams and thrive within a dynamic, high-growth business.
Professional qualifications including NEBOSH, IOSH, and membership of relevant industry bodies were important considerations throughout the search.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens successfully delivered high-calibre candidates across all three senior appointments.
Each individual brought significant experience in global workplace operations, Health & Safety leadership, corporate real estate and strategic Facilities Management, enabling them to make an immediate impact.
Collectively, these appointments have helped strengthen:
- Global Health, Safety and Environmental governance.
- Corporate Real Estate operations.
- Supplier and contract management.
- International workplace standards.
- Procurement and commercial performance.
- Compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
- Workplace strategy and operational resilience.
The successful appointments supported Paddy Power Betfair's continued international growth while ensuring the organisation maintained the high operational standards expected across its global office portfolio.
Recruiting Global Workplace & Corporate Real Estate Leaders
International organisations require senior leaders capable of balancing operational excellence with commercial awareness, regulatory compliance and strategic workplace leadership.
Through our specialist executive search expertise, Maxwell Stephens successfully delivered a series of senior appointments that strengthened Paddy Power Betfair's international Workplace, Corporate Real Estate and Health & Safety functions.
Candidate Testimonial
"The recruitment process with Maxwell Stephens was professional, engaging and genuinely supportive from beginning to end. Communication was excellent throughout, with regular updates, detailed interview preparation and valuable advice at every stage. Their expertise ultimately helped me secure a fantastic opportunity, and I would highly recommend Maxwell Stephens to anyone working within the Facilities Management sector."