With comings and goings commonplace across the industry, FanDuel, Hard Rock, AstroPay, Paysafe and OPTX, have moved to bolster their teams with key hires.
Hard Rock
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas has named Joe Lupo as the President of the future property.
Subject to regulatory approval of Hard Rock International’s purchase of The Mirage Hotel & Casino from MGM Resorts International, Lupo will take over the role once the Nevada Gaming Commission licensing process has concluded.
“As president of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City for the past four years, Joe Lupo has achieved amazing results,” said Allen. “Thanks to his dedication and expertise, financial results continue to outperform expectations, while our team members share an unmatched commitment to guest service and satisfaction.
“I am confident Joe Lupo will achieve even greater success at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.”
Moreover, in Atlantic City, Anthony Faranca is set to become the President of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City – subject to regulatory approval – from September 1.
A Philadelphia native, Faranca has extensive experience managing large gaming properties in several states including Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
“Anthony’s deep knowledge of the Atlantic City and Northeast region is an invaluable asset to the company,” explained Allen. “We are confident that Anthony will continue Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City’s legacy of success and impactful leadership in the community.”
FanDuel
Andrew Sneyd has become the Executive Vice President of Marketing at FanDuel, which will see him oversee the core marketing functions across the firm’s complete suite of brands.
Formerly the Senior Vice President of Brand, Sneyd will now steward growth marketing, media, customer engagement, and marketing operations, in addition to brand and product marketing strategy, creative, customer insight, press relations and partnership activation.
Mike Raffensperger, Chief Commercial Officer for FanDuel Group, noted: “Since his arrival at FanDuel, Andrew has elevated our creative efforts and continued our explosive growth. His acumen for brand marketing has separated us from the field and under his leadership, I expect that we will continue to make moments matter more for our customers.”
Prior to joining FanDuel, Sneyd served as Vice President, Brand Marketing & Strategy at Priceline. Before joining Priceline in 2017, he held multiple marketing leadership roles at Anheuser Busch InBev.
AstroPay
UK-based AstroPay has appointed Fayyaz Ansari as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer who will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the payments firm’s global financial management activities.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join AstroPay as the next step in my career,” commented Ansari. “I am excited about working with a team that is passionate about the business, has a clear strategy and always puts customers’ needs first.
“With its commitment to global expansion, a strong business model, a focus on diversity and proud history, AstroPay is well positioned for extraordinary growth and impact.
“I believe the company’s unique value proposition and strong foundation will allow the business to grow and execute its vision of making payments much more accessible to customers around the world.”
AstroPay added that its new CFO has also managed banking, investments and financial systems, and was also involved in fundraising and coordinating an exit via a trade sale/IPO.
Mikael Lijtenstein, CEO of AstroPay, remarked: “I am delighted to welcome Fayyaz to AstroPay, where he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact as we aim to become the world’s leading payments platform.
“His wealth of experience will be essential in implementing our strategic plans to accelerate growth and position AstroPay for the future.
“Fayyaz and the team will contribute to our mission of providing financial freedom to millions of people worldwide. He is an excellent addition to the AstroPay team and I look forward to working with him in our journey.”
Paysafe
Rob Gatto has been hired the Paysafe’s newly created role of Chief Revenue Officer, who will be tasked with developing the sales functions for Paysafe Card, Neteller and Skrill brands.
Charged with spearheading the company’s international sales strategy, Paysafe underscored Gatto’s diverse technology background, having executed successful commercial strategies for Tubemogul – a “programmatic video platform acquired by Adobe Systems for $540m; NeuStar Inc, a cloud-based, information services company; and as CEO at PointRoll Inc, a leading provider of digital marketing technology”.
“I believe Paysafe is uniquely positioned to offer an unrivalled end-to-end payment offering to both consumers and merchants in the specialised industries it focuses on,” Gatto stated.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Bruce and the talented Paysafe team at such an exciting time and look forward to playing my part in driving some solid growth across the business.”
OPTX
OPTX has appointed JP Symeonidis as the firm’s Vice President of Sales as the company expands into Canada.
Symeonidis expressed his enthusiasm in joining OPTX, emphasising: “I’m always there for my customers; I’m very customer driven. After sixteen years in the business, my customers are more like friends. Additional motivation for him to join OPTX stemmed from the inner workings of the company itself.
“I love the forward-thinking and innovative nature of OPTX. The company’s focus on its product from an operational mindset to better the functionality in casinos aligns with my personal mission to streamline and optimise an industry that serves as an entertainment haven for so many.”
Boasting 19-years of sales experience, 16 of which have been in the gaming tech space, Symeonidis’ prior accolades include working as the Director of Sales for Amaya.
“Considering the success OPTX has had across the states, the decision to expand to Canada was a no-brainer,” Brooke Fiumara, Co-CEO of OPTX, shared. “JP is the perfect puzzle piece fit for V.P. of Sales in Canada. His lengthy resume is only outweighed by the connections he has forged during his time in the gaming tech industry.”
