With comings and goings commonplace across the industry, Mohegan, NeoGames and The Star Gold Coast are among those to have seen changes to their teams recently.
Mohegan
Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has appointed Joseph J Hasson as interim Chief Operating Officer, who is currently the General Manager of Mohegan Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Effective August 1, 2024, Hasson will be replacing Jody Madigan in the COO position, who has resigned and will be taking a leave of absence pending his departure.
Reporting to President and CEO Ray Pineault, Hasson will serve as interim COO and retain his current General Manager role, subject to necessary regulatory filings or approvals.
Mohegan added that Hasson was an “obvious choice” with his more than 40 years of gaming and hospitality experience, as he has also been COO for Station Casinos and Red Rock Resorts.
Pineault commented: “Joseph J Hasson’s deep understanding of the gaming and hospitality industry makes him exceptionally qualified to maintain our high service and operational excellence standards.
“We are confident that Joe’s extensive experience and proven leadership will ensure continuity in our operations and guest experience.”
The Star
The Star Entertainment Group has announced that Jessica Mellor, CEO of The Star Gold Coast, has tendered her resignation to the operator’s board, effective May 24, 2024.
Subject to regulatory approval, The Star Gold Coast’s current General Manager of Gaming, Ian Brown, will take on additional responsibilities as acting CEO. Mellor has agreed to provide support until September 2024 to assist with the transition.
Mellor became The Star Gold Coast’s youngest and first female CEO when she was appointed in October 2023. She was previously the COO of the property from 2019.
She played a key role in helping the venue become “an iconic Gold Coast tourism and entertainment precinct, including the development of the $2bn masterplan part of a joint venture consortium”.
The Star has begun its search for a new CEO for its Gold Coast venue.
Executive Chair, David Foster, noted: “Jessica has led The Star Gold Coast through some challenging times including through COVID and has been instrumental in developing the Gold Coast property into an iconic world-class integrated destination resort with our joint venture partners.
“Jessica has decided the time is right to move on and she leaves with both the board’s and my personal thanks, for her tireless efforts as CEO of The Star Gold Coast.”
PAGCOR
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has appointed Wilma Eisma as its new President and Chief Operating Officer.
Becoming the agency’s first-ever woman President and COO, Eisma succeeds Atty Juanito Sanosa Jr, who resigned from the position last January.
A lawyer by profession, Eisma has a law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and was previously a member of the Development Bank of the Philippines’ board of directors.
She also served as the first woman Administrator and Chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and has held leadership roles with PMFTC Inc, the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International, as well as key positions at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Commenting on Eisma’s appointment, PAGCOR Chair Alejandro Tengco said: “We are happy to welcome Atty Wilma Eisma as PAGCOR’s new President and COO.
“We know she will be a great asset, and her vast experience in both the government and private sectors will surely be put to good use here.”
NeoGames
NeoGames has added Christopher Shaban to its leadership team as Managing Director of iLottery, effective immediately.
The appointment of Shaban is part of the company’s plans and progression towards the closing of its acquisition by Aristocrat, expected in the second quarter of 2024.
With over 27 years of experience in the global lottery industry, Shaban initially joined NeoGames in 2021 as EVP of Global Business and Customer Development for the company’s ilottery business.
Moti Malul, CEO at NeoGames, said: “Chris is hugely respected within the lottery industry and his track record speaks for itself. I am thrilled about his appointment and look forward to seeing him drive us forward in our ilottery business.”
Shaban will oversee all ilottery activity for the group globally, including new business and customer growth, as well as the continued global expansion of its ilottery solution and in-house game studio, NeoGames Studio.
Shaban added: “It has been a few wonderful years with NeoGames and I am excited to continue in this new role as Managing Director, iLottery.
“Working together with the extremely talented people in our company, we are poised to expand our efforts under Aristocrat to best support our global lottery customers on their interactive journey.”
EPIC
EPIC Global Solutions has announced the departure of Mark Potter, who served as Head of Delivery and was the company’s second-longest-serving member of staff.
Potter initially joined the organisation nine years ago, when he teamed up with EPIC Founder and CEO Paul Buck as a Lived Experience Facilitator, before moving into the role of Head of Delivery.
EPIC noted that Potter played a critical role in the company’s work over the years, sharing his own gambling harm story to “educate thousands of at-risk demographics and making a real impact” across the business and its global partners.
“We wish Mark all the best for the future and thank him for his time and efforts in seeking to prevent others from experiencing harm,” stated EPIC.
Aspire Global
Aspire Global, a NeoGames subsidiary, has appointed Jonathan Chilton as Managing Director.
Chilton brings over 19 years of igaming knowledge to the role, with previous experience across B2B and B2C operations.
He previously worked as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director at GM Gaming Limited, a Betway company under the Super Group umbrella, leading its expansion in several regulated European markets while serving as a director on seven licensed entities.
Commenting on his appointment, Chilton said: “It’s fantastic to be joining Aspire Global at what is a very exciting time for the company and its growth prospects. We have a talented team here and I’m determined to accelerate our growth through the delivery of a full spectrum of cutting-edge solutions.”
Chilton also spent 12 years at Osiris Trading in South Africa across several roles, introducing Betway into African markets.
Moti Malul, NeoGames CEO, added: I’m thrilled to welcome Jonathan onboard. Jonathan brings a vast wealth of experience with him and will be a major asset both for Aspire Global’s white label focus as well as the broader NeoGames group.”