Ladbrokes Coral’s new ‘super team’ will be based at Here East, the former media centre for the London 2012 Olympics on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London. For those unfamiliar with the location, the Here East campus is already home to BT Sport, Loughborough University London, Studio Wayne MacGregor, Signal Noise, Plexal and soon Ford’s new European Smart Mobility Innovation Office. Online luxury fashion retailer MATCHESFASHION.COM will also be shortly moving to Here East, while UCL’s campus is due to open imminently.
The LC2 team will comprise of 150 staff from both brands, but in the coming months there are ambitious plans to grow the team by investing in LC2’s own first-class software engineering capability, enabling the firm to continue to differentiate its products in the marketplace. The team aims to deliver a range of programs and products including CRM, ePOS and digital sportsbook platforms. There will also be new projects developed as the centre grows.
The creation of LC2 will serve as the product innovation centre for both Ladbrokes and Coral brands and aims to unite sports, technology and the very best talent to deliver an “unrivalled and memorable sports betting experience”. The merging of the teams aims to speed up communication, improve accessibility and support collaborative ways of working needed in an agile, fast-paced environment.
Graham Calder, Ladbrokes Coral CIO said, “With the creation of LC2 our goal is to deliver excellence for our customers by leveraging the best digital technology, to hire the best digital talent to build the best digital future. With our passion for sports, we can’t help but be inspired by the great sporting legacy that comes with being a part of the Olympic Park.”
The Spokesman quick-fire round
“So why now?”
“With the merger and integration of our teams complete, we now want to accelerate our plans to deliver more a personalised and an exciting sports betting experience for our customers. The time is right to bring our Digital Product and Technology Teams together to make this happen.”
“What led you to settle on this particular location?”
“The site comes with great sporting heritage and now offers a nod to the future as it re-emerges as a technology and innovation centre. Working with like-minded people in a fun and stimulating environment was appealing to us.”
“You mention plans to grow the team… what are you projecting?”
“Our team is approximately 150-strong now and we want to grow fast. We are looking for talented people to join our team and shape the future of our organisation. The sorts of skills we want include are Engineering, Architecture & Analysis, Delivery roles and Testing. We’d encourage anyone reading this article who is interested to contact us via info@lc2.life”
“What excites you most about bringing all this talent into one space?”
“We’re a digital business and powered throughout by technology with a passion for sport. We’re excited about the innovative solutions that lie ahead and the speed at which we hope to bring them to fruition. We think we have the talent to do that.”
“How do you think this change will manifest as far as customers seeing changes and improvements?”
“There will be an aggressive drive in innovation to deliver exclusive content across all channels – in particular, digital sportsbook platforms.”
“What are the first ‘fruits’ of this move we’ll see?”
“We’ve already moved into a temporary space within Here East while our final office is completed and this has paid immediate dividends in the way the teams work together. New products such as Odds Boost on the Ladbrokes brand are testament to this.”
“Any key plans for the next 12 months now this ‘super-team’ is formed?”
“Without giving too much away, the increased collaboration will help us work in a more agile way and allow us to launch new products for our customers with greater speed and innovation. “
