Rational Group Appoints Rafi Ashkenazi as COO
This was published 23-01-2013Mark Scheinberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rational Group, recently announced that Rafi Ashkenazi has joined the Group as Chief Operating Officer.
Ashkenazi is an experienced gaming industry executive and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Group as well as for its brands which include Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars, the world’s two largest online poker sites.
Rafi Ashkenazi previously served as COO and board member of global gaming software company, Playtech, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations and business activities and helped the company grow from 200 to more than 2,400 employees.
The Rational Group of companies launched PokerStars in 2001 and has since then become the industry leader focusing on operational perfection and keeping their customers happy.
The Group operates gaming and businesses and brands that relate thereto, including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker as well as the European Poker Tour. This has resulted in the company becoming the largest poker business in the world. The group comprises of online poker games and tournaments, live poker competitions and poker programming that is created for online audiences and television.
Scheinberg said “As the Group grows and continues to develop our business globally and across multiple platforms and brands, we need to strengthen the leadership of its increasingly complex operations.” Scheinberg added “Rafi is a fine executive with outstanding management and people skills and has been very successful directing the operational complexities of a global gaming company. I am very happy that he will bring that expertise to our senior management team.”
Ashkenazi said that he was very excited to join the team and to add his skills to Rational Group’s tradition of industry leadership.
Rational Group was established in 2001 and is currently a privately held global leader in online gaming, operating top brands which include PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the Latin American Poker Tour.
The company holds multiple online poker licenses, including fromFrance,Italy,Isle of Man,Malta,Estonia,Belgium,SpainandDenmark.
