William Hill Director leaves after 45 years

based bookmaker William Hill has confirmed in an interview with the Racing Post that its Media Relations Director, Graham Sharpe, is leaving after 45 years of service. Mr Sharpe, who joined William Hill in 1972, is the co-founder of the ‘William Hill Sportsbook of the Year’ prize, the firm’s longest serving sponsorship initiative; he also developed the idea of novelty and political betting. The industry veteran will leave next week having agreed redundancy terms with William Hill but will remain as an adviser on the firm’s Sportsbook of the Year competition. In the interview, Sharpe said: “In the 45 years and one month I’ve worked for this company I’ve never asked to leave”. “I’d have liked to have seen the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year through to the 30th edition in November next year, which would coincide with my 68th birthday and it was in the back of my mind as an ideal time to quit. “Then I was told I was at risk of redundancy and we went through a process. I’ve been offered the opportunity to remain associated with the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year, which I have accepted.” Sharpe famously opened a betting market on the ‘Who shot JR’ storyline in the US soap Dallas in 1980 and was also the first to allow betting on both a white Christmas and the Christmas number one single. Ciaran O’Brien, Communications Director at William Hill praised Sharpe’s role in shaping both the company’s PR profile and changing perception of the gambling industry as a whole, saying: “Graham’s name was synonymous with gambling. You couldn’t pick up a tabloid newspaper without reading his name in association with a betting story.”. Picture: getbucks.co.uk