Nigel Birrell joined PartyGaming plc in December 2005 as Group Director of Mergers and Acquisitions. He joined from HIT Entertainment Plc (HIT), one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

Mr Birrell joined HIT in 1999 and was a Main Board director responsible for M&A, corporate development, investor relations, analyst and public relations and was the Board Director responsible for Guinness World Records and Fun Radio, of which he was also its first Chairman. He also served as CEO of Gullane plc during its integration with HIT.

At HIT he led the acquisition of several well-known and established entertainment brands, including Barney the Dinosaur, Thomas the Tank Engine, Guinness World Records, Art Attack, Sooty, Fireman Sam and Pingu. He also played a prime roll in devising, negotiating and establishing SPROUT, a joint venture with Comcast and the Children’s Television Workshop as the only dedicated 24-hour digital pre-school satellite and cable telephone channel that was launched in the United States in September 2006.

Prior to HIT, Mr Birrell, who is a qualified lawyer, was Senior Vice President in the European mergers and acquisitions group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, now part of Credit Suisse First Boston, and also spent 10 years working in corporate finance at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

While at PartyGaming Mr Birrell has led the acquisition of Gamebookers, PartyGaming’s entry into sports betting in 2006, its disposal of its interest in the Poker Channel, its acquisition and integration of Empire On-line and IOG’s casino operations in 2007 its acquisition and integration of Cashcade Limited in 2009, the acquisition and integration of the World Poker Tour in 2009, and the recent merger with Bwin Interactive AG to create bwin.party digital entertainment plc, the world’s largest listed online gaming group.