PointsBet Holdings has welcomed a new set of Board Directors coming from its now-parent company MIXI Australia.

Sho Okuyama, Kanji Kobayashi, and Taishi Oba are now Non-Executive Directors of PointsBet Holdings, effective immediately.

“PointsBet welcomes Mr Okuyama, Mr Kobayashi and Mr Oba to the Board and is looking forward to working with each incoming Director and PointsBet’s major shareholder, MIXI Australia,” a company statement read.

Okuyama has been with MIXI since 2016. One of his notable roles at the Japanese conglomerate was Head of its Investment and Business Development Department, where he oversaw subsidiary management, business development, M&A, PMI, and startup investments.

In 2022, Okuyama was appointed Corporate Officer, only to move up to the Senior Corporate Officer role in 2023.

He continued to climb the corporate ladder by later becoming Head of Social Betting at MIXI, directly managing the firm’s TIPSTAR platform – a one-stop hub for wagering, betting tips, and live streaming. He’s been Director of MIXI Australia since 2024.

Kobayashi joined MIXI in 2007, leveraging his legal background to become General Manager of its Legal Affairs Division in 2017. Similarly to Okuyama, Kobayashi became a Senior Corporate Officer in 2022, and a Director of MIXI Australia in 2025.

Oba is the most recent MIXI joiner, but his career portfolio includes stints at KPMG Japan and VT Holdings, where he worked on business strategies such as M&A and corporate expansions across Africa and Europe.

Naturally, there’s a list of PointsBet Directors that are either retiring or retiring. These are Becky Harris, Tony Symons, Kosha Gada, Peter McCluskey, and William Grounds. 

Brett Paton and Sam Swannell will remain on the Board as Chairman and Managing Director respectively.

MIXI Australia successfully obtained a majority shareholder power of 66.43% by closing the AUD $431m (£212m) deal on 12 September, but not without breaking a sweat.

The Japanese firm found itself in a months-long bidding war with Betr Entertainment, also a shareholder in PointsBet that was determined to go to length and snatch up the Australian company under MIXI’s nose.

Things did turn in MIXI’s favour eventually, with its offer of $1.25 per share proving more interesting to PointsBet than the 4-to-1 share offer by Betr – which was the last one out of many.