Allwyn has appointed Katie Harbron as Director of Games for the UK National Lottery, tasking her with leading the development and performance of its games portfolio as the operator pushes forward on its digital transformation agenda.
Background and Reporting Line
Harbron joins Allwyn this month from online casino MrQ, where she held the position of Chief Product Officer. Before that, she served as Product Director at Flutter UK & Ireland, and prior to that held roles at Sky Betting & Gaming spanning two and a half years, and more than eight years at Tombola.
She reports to Richard Dawkins, Managing Director of Digital at Allwyn UK, and will lead the Games Team of Product Marketers and Innovation Managers. Her remit covers the full games portfolio — draw-based games and interactive instant win games — with responsibility for both performance and product development.
Katie brings extensive experience in leading product, content and commercial development for global brands.
That was Richard Dawkins, welcoming Harbron to the organisation.
Context: Allwyn’s Digital-First Agenda
Allwyn took over as operator of The National Lottery in February 2024 under the Fourth Licence, committing to a digital-first transformation of the business over the 10-year licence period. The appointment of Harbron, whose career has been built predominantly in online and digital gaming, signals the direction of that product push.
Her background spans multiple high-volume B2C digital gaming environments. Flutter UK & Ireland — which operates Paddy Power and Betfair — and Sky Betting & Gaming represent two of the UK’s largest regulated digital operators. Tombola, meanwhile, is one of the UK’s leading online bingo operators. The combination gives Harbron broad exposure to both mass-market and niche digital gaming audiences.
The hire follows a series of senior appointments Allwyn has made to strengthen its UK leadership structure. In January 2026, the company brought in Bridget Lea as Managing Director of Retail, a newly created role designed to accelerate performance in the retail channel. The games-side appointment of Harbron complements that by bolstering the digital and product leadership.
Allwyn has previously outlined ambitions to expand the range of games available through The National Lottery and attract new player demographics, particularly younger audiences familiar with digital-first experiences. The appointment of a Director of Games with roots in the online casino and digital betting sectors — rather than lottery specifically — reflects that commercial logic.
National Lottery Scale
The National Lottery raises approximately £32 million per week for good causes. Since its 1994 launch, more than £52 billion has been distributed to funded projects across the UK. Allwyn’s licence runs to 2034, with the operator committed to growing both the player base and the volume of good cause funding generated over that period.
For Harbron, the role represents a shift from pure-play commercial iGaming into a public-interest operating environment, where product decisions carry regulatory weight alongside commercial objectives. How the games portfolio evolves under her leadership — and whether Allwyn introduces new product formats to drive player growth — will be the practical test of the appointment.
Source: Allwyn
