THE OPERATOR OF the Irish National Lottery is set to undertake a search for a new chief executive officer when its current head Dermot Griffin steps down later this year.

Premier Lotteries Ireland announced today that Griffin will leave his role after 14 years in order to pursue other opportunities.

During his time at the helm, he oversaw a 40% increase in sales for the company, from €578 million in 2004 to €805 million in 2018, with €3.2 billion raised for good causes in that time.

Griffin played a central role in the transition of the National Lottery to a private operating licence in 2014, which raised €405 million for the State.

“It has been a privilege to lead the National Lottery for the last 14 years during a period of continuous development in all aspects of the business, including the change in ownership from public to private,” he said today.

“I am proud of what the Irish National Lottery has become and what it has contributed to Irish society. I feel that the time is now right for me to move on to new challenges.”

The chairman of Premier Lotteries Ireland, Pádraig Ó Ríordáin also thanked Griffin for his leadership of the company, saying he had “contributed enormously” to the development of the National Lottery in that time.

Griffin will continue to support the business in an advisory capacity in the coming years.

The company’s board has appointed Barry Herriott of Korn Ferry to assist in the search process to identify a Griffin’s replacement.