James Richardson
About James Richardson
James Richardson is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Inspired Entertainment (INSE) since January 1, 2025; age 49; Chartered Accountant (FCA, ICAEW); B.A. from the University of Hull, UK . He previously held senior finance roles across gaming, payments, and transportation, including Global Online Finance Director at William Hill and finance leadership at Global Payments, DFC Global, MAG, HSBC, and PwC . Company operating performance early in his tenure included Q2 2025 EBITDA of $28.4m (+15% YoY) with margins improving from 33% to 35%; Interactive EBITDA grew ~50% YoY, underscoring growth levers in digital businesses .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Airports Group (MAG) | Group Commercial Finance Director; Finance Director (London Stansted & East Midlands) | 2019–2024 | Led financial, commercial, and operational achievements across major UK airports |
| William Hill plc | Global Online Finance Director | 2017–2019 | Oversaw ~£600m online betting/gaming; drove multi-territory growth and reorganization to align with strategy |
| DFC Global Corp (Dollar Financial) | CFO, UK division | Not disclosed | Senior financial leadership in consumer finance; corporate finance oversight |
| Global Payments Inc. | CFO, UK & European divisions | Not disclosed | Finance leadership for NASDAQ-listed payments provider; multi-country operations |
| HSBC Plc | Strategy, M&A | Not disclosed | Led sale of merchant services business to Global Payments; strategic transactions |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | Audit/Corporate Finance | Not disclosed | Early career foundation in audit and corporate finance |
External Roles
- No public company directorships or committee roles disclosed in the proxy biography for Richardson .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base Salary | £300,000 per annum under employment agreement with Inspired Gaming (UK) Limited, effective Jan 1, 2025 |
| Pension | Defined contribution pension with employer contribution of 15% for UK-based executives (applies to Richardson) |
| Benefits | UK market-related executive-tier health and life insurance; eligibility for executive STIP and LTIP |
| Term/Notice | Indefinite term; termination generally requires ≥6 months’ written notice by either party; company may terminate immediately with payment in lieu of notice |
Performance Compensation
Short-Term Incentive (STIP) Structure
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDAB (Adjusted EBITDA before STIP bonuses) | Not disclosed (exec eligibility based on corporate criteria) | Set annually per Compensation Committee | Not disclosed (CFO joined 2025) | Not disclosed | 2024 program ranged 10%–120% of salary across management tiers; finance team eligible for additional 10% STIP in 2025 contingent on unqualified audit opinion and no material weaknesses |
Long-Term Incentive (LTIP) and Equity Awards
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Value | Performance Metric | Weighting | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-based RSUs (Sign-on) | Commencement Jan 1, 2025 | 30,000 RSUs | None | 100% time-based | Three-year schedule; 1/3 per year |
| Formula RSUs (Program-wide) | Annual | Value set as % of base salary (execs: typically 100% in 2024 awards) | Adjusted EBITDAB (performance RSUs) | 50% time-based / 50% performance-based | Time RSUs vest 1/3 per year beginning year of grant; performance RSUs vest Dec 31 of 3rd year after grant if initial-year criteria met; recent design uses a one-year performance measurement for rigor |
Notes:
- Company-wide policy favors RSUs over stock options to conserve share pool; no option grant policy applies as options are not the primary instrument .
- The Compensation Committee utilizes FW Cook for benchmarking and program design, including CFO compensation levels .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Ownership (Shares) | Not individually disclosed for Richardson in the 2025 proxy beneficial ownership table; group total for current directors/executive officers is 3,786,599 shares (13.1%), but Richardson is not listed individually . |
| RSUs – Sign-on | 30,000 RSUs; three-year vesting, 1/3 per year |
| Vested vs Unvested | Not disclosed; vesting schedule indicates staged release over three years |
| Ownership Guidelines | Other executive officers must hold shares equal to 3x annual base salary; RSUs count toward compliance |
| Compliance Status | Not disclosed for Richardson |
| Hedging/Pledging | Insider trading policy prohibits margin purchases, short sales, and derivatives; long-term hedging requires ≥6 months and preclearance; Company has not approved any hedging transactions and does not expect to do so. No pledging policy disclosure found beyond margin prohibition . |
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start Date | January 1, 2025 |
| Employer Entity | Inspired Gaming (UK) Limited (subsidiary) |
| Position | CFO and Chief Accounting Officer |
| Contract Length | Indefinite |
| Salary Currency | GBP (£300,000 per annum) |
| Notice/Termination | ≥6 months’ notice by either party; company may terminate with immediate effect by paying salary equivalent for the notice period |
| Incentives Eligibility | Participation in executive STIP/LTIP; sign-on 30,000 RSUs |
| Benefits | UK executive-tier health and life insurance; 15% employer pension contribution |
| Clawback | Nasdaq 10D-compliant compensation recovery policy covering executive incentive-based compensation upon required accounting restatement |
Investment Implications
- Retention and selling pressure: The three-year, 1/3-per-year vesting schedule on 30,000 RSUs naturally creates annual vest events that can drive discretionary sales for tax/liquidity; paired with a 6-month notice period, near-term retention risk is moderate, but equity vesting provides alignment over the first three years . The Company has not approved hedging transactions, reducing the likelihood of derivatives-based pre-hedging of future sales .
- Pay-for-performance alignment: STIP and LTIP are anchored to Adjusted EBITDAB, with a program-wide 50/50 mix of time vs performance RSUs and an added 2025 finance-team 10% STIP contingent on clean audit—tying compensation to operating outcomes and control remediation, directly relevant to a new CFO mandate .
- Governance quality signals: Stock ownership guidelines (3x salary for executives) and a robust clawback policy support alignment and downside accountability; use of independent consultant FW Cook and defined peer group helps mitigate pay inflation risk and ensures market-based compensation structures .
- Execution track record: Early in his tenure, the company reported Q2 2025 EBITDA growth (+15% YoY) and margin expansion, with strong Interactive growth (~50% YoY), indicating tailwinds in areas aligned with Richardson’s prior gaming/online finance experience; continued delivery against Adjusted EBITDAB will translate directly into incentive outcomes .