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Sport for Business
Sport for Business
Paul Mallon Returns To Paddy Power
Let us know what’s on your mind
A creative heavyweight returns to Paddy Power as we examine how a provocative brand voice can evolve under tighter rules and higher expectations. We reflect on past culture-led stunts, agency lessons, and the path to responsible, high-impact sponsorships in 2026.
• Paul Mallon’s return and why it matters
• Signature campaigns that built brand distinctiveness
• From provocation to participation through responsibility
• Agency-side lessons applied to a tougher market
• Aligning with rights holders on values and voice
• League of Ireland fixtures and Dalymount milestones
• Event details to kickstart 2026 with research and speakers
Tickets for our Keynote Sporting Year Ahead event in partnership with Teneo are on sale now at sportforbusiness.com
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Hello and welcome to the Sport for Business Daily Podcast. It is Wednesday, December the 17th. I'm your host, Rob Hallett, and today's read through of content which first appeared on the SportForBusiness.com website is about the return of a prodigal son. Paul Mallard, a former head of mischief at Patty Power, is back in the business. And that's the story that we're taking a look at today. Alongside a restructuring of management at Bohemian's football club, the fixture drop with the League of Ireland fixtures throughout the whole of 2026, including the last games to be played at the old Daily Mount Park, and plenty more on the website today. You can discover it all at supportabusiness.com. Have a great day. Our decision to bring Paul Mallon back into the business marks a delivery reconnection with one of the most influential creative voices in its modern history as the brand navigates the next phase of its evolution. Alan returns to Happy Power after over four years away having left the bookmaker in 2021 in his role as head of mixture. In the intervening period, he expanded his experience on the agency side, first with Lucky Generals and London, and more recently with Champion Sportswear in Europe, adding a broader strategic and commercial perspective to a career already closely associated with one of sport and betting's most distinctive brands. During his previous battle at Patty Power, Allen was central to shaping a creative approach that made the brand a constant presence in sporting and cultural competition campaigns such as the Rachel Blackmore statue, which helped them, the birth of the Patty Power Lucky Pants, and the sponsorship of the Patty Power Irish Gold Cupboard Application, which would like the activations all took place on his watch. At the height of Covid Lockdowns, we were delighted to run a sport for business sponsorship masterclass with him over the web. You can see that on the sportforbusiness.com website if you can be able to look back at those lockdown times. The brand's deliberately provocative out of home executions became defining features of Patty Power's identity, earning widespread attention far beyond paid media. That period established Patty Power as a case study, and our sport-spetting brand could use humour, timing, and cultural awareness to drive disproportionate impact. The brand's work regularly transcended traditional advertising, positioning the firm as a participant in sport and popular culture rather than as a passive sponsor. His move to Lucky Generals offered exposure to a different creative model, working across multiple brands and categories. That experience is likely to be particularly relevant as Patty Power operates within a more complex landscape than the one Malon left in 2021. The regulatory environment is tightened, public expectations around responsibility have sharpened, and sports rights holders are increasingly focused on alignment and values as much as visibility. Again, return would suggest a desire to blend the creative instincts that build party power's reputation with the more considered sustainable approach to brand impact that is in place going into 2026. The appointment is about rediscovering authority of voice at a time when many brands in the sector are struggling to stand out without overstepping the mark. Party power decision to bring back a format admission, underlines the value replaces our creativity, rooted in authenticity, experience, and a clear sense of purpose. We very much look forward to having Paul Mala back at the help. I know that we're all winding down into the Christmas break now, but if you're looking for something to kickstart 2026 on your return, well, the tickets for our keynote sporting year ahead event in partnership with Toneo are on sale now at sportforbusiness.com. There will be a mix of really good connections in the room, really great speakers on the stage, plenty of new research which will make you smarter going into 2026 from our friends at Toneo. You can get your tickets, only board rates.
