AP2 Advisory is operated by the following team in conjunction with a network of specialist advisors in Australia, Europe and North America.

Paul Bittar
Founder and Principal
Paul has worked in the global racing and betting industries for 20+ years. A qualified accountant before being involved in racing, Paul held various senior executive and Board roles across a range of territories including Chief Strategy Officer of Racing Victoria, CEO of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and CEO and Board member of British Horseracing. With a long interest in wagering and investment markets, Paul took on the role of General Manager, Sports Partnerships at Sportsbet for four years, where he led the engagement and commercial development across key sport and racing partners. Paul also led Sportsbet’s corporate development related to media rights and major betting licence transactions including the Western Australian TAB, Victorian Wagering Licence and partnering opportunities with TAB NZ. In late 2019, Paul established AP2 and has been consulting with others under the AP2 banner, specialising in work (corporate strategy, growth initiatives, leading of numerous M&A and due diligence processes, sports integrity and media and commercial rights deals) across the betting, media rights, racing and sport sectors, with clients both in Australia and internationally. Paul has also served on the Board of New Zealand TAB (TAB NZ), and led the development of the strategic partnering process which resulted in TAB NZ partnering with Entain in a 25-year licence agreement worth c.$1bn.

Josh Blanksby
Principal
Josh is a seasoned executive leader with 20+ years of experience across legal, corporate and strategic management in the racing, wagering, media and hospitality sectors. As the former CEO of the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) for seven years, Josh has demonstrated exceptional leadership in navigating complex business landscapes, driving financial growth and delivering large-scale projects with lasting economic and social impact. Josh was involved in the development of the Caulfield Master Plan delivering $160m in racing infrastructure, as well as establishing the MRC's diversified revenue streams from hospitality, gaming and property development. Josh was also involved in the establishment of Racing.com and the direct international distribution of Victorian and South Australian media rights providing material returns to the racing industry. Josh has extensive board experience being a director of Racing.com for 7 years and the MRC Foundation for 8 years - the philanthropic arm of the MRC. Prior to the MRC, Josh was the Director of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Betfair, spending 7 years with the organisation as the online wagering sector was being established in Australia. Before that Josh practised as a corporate lawyer focusing on M&A, private equity and capital raisings.

Lexi Janson
U.S. Lead
Lexi has more than 15 years of experience across the racing, wagering and sports ecosystem. She has worked hands‑on across the value chain from rights holders to B2B technology providers and B2C operators. Her expertise includes stakeholder alignment, product innovation, regulatory navigation and commercial growth strategy across Australia, the UK and the United States. She began her career in strategic roles at Racing Victoria and the British Horseracing Authority, contributing to industry‑wide reforms such as levy funding, race product positioning and major governance reviews. She then joined Playtech as Commercial Director, managing multi‑million‑dollar partnerships across Europe and gaining deep experience on the supplier side of the industry. In 2019, Lexi moved to the United States to join DraftKings during a period of rapid state expansion. She established the Promo Operations function, led sportsbook product development during a major platform migration and new state rollouts, and later directed marketing platform strategy delivering significant revenue and efficiency gains. Her work across product, marketing and operations has positioned her as a trusted leader capable of scaling growth within complex regulatory environments. Lexi’s end‑to‑end perspective across sport governance, digital product, commercial operations and regulatory strategy makes her a valuable resource for projects requiring sector fluency and executional credibility.



