Is everything alright at Playtech? Chief operating officer Rafi Ashkenazi reportedly handed in his notice at the company’s Isle of Man HQ three weeks ago, with former COO Shay Segev assuming Ashkenazi’s responsibilities for the time being. A source told eGamingReview Ashkenazi’s departure was down to “non-performance” and that “more changes are afoot but we don’t know what they might be.” Aaron Johnson, the former CEO of Playtech’s B2B bingo offshoot Virtue Fusion, left the company in September after reportedly falling out with Playtech founder/majority-shareholder/convicted-stock-manipulator Teddy Sagi. Did Ashkenazi make a mistake by objecting to Playtech’s decision to buy Sagi’s leftover Hallowe’en candy for £1m?
In what may be the most challenging of the day’s roster changes, Donald Colvin has been appointed exec VP and chief financial officer of debt-ridden Caesars Entertainment. Until last month, Colvin was CFO at tech firm ON Semiconductor Corp., a position he’d held since 2003. Colvin replaces Jonathan Halkyard, who leaped at the opportunity to become CFO at NV Energy. Caesars CEO Gary Loveman said Colvin was selected, in part, because of his talents at “managing complex balance sheets.” Let’s hope Caesars provides new Chief Debt Renegotiator Colvin with a custom-designed desk in which the ‘accounts payable’ drawer is 20x the size of the ‘accounts receivable’ drawer.
Bally Technologies has elevated president/COO Ramesh Srinivasan to the CEO position, replacing Richard Haddrill, who’s being kicked upstairs to the chairman position. Current chairman Kevin Verner will become Bally’s lead independent board member. Srinivasan is a seven-year veteran with Bally, while Haddrill had been CEO for eight years.
Liverpool-based sport- and race-pool betting outfit Sportech are on the hunt for a new finance director after Steve Cunliffe announced he would be stepping down when the company announces its preliminary full-year results in March, or sooner if executive search consultants Odgers Berndtson can locate a suitable replacement. Cunliffe, who has been with Sportech six years, is leaving to pursue “other business interests.”
Online gaming affiliate/marketing outfit Income Access has designated a new five-member senior management roster prompted in part by COO Kristyn Gaffney’s announcement that she would be stepping down after six years with the company. The new Seal Team Five encompasses head of operations Edward Tkalec, chief marketing officer Sarafina Wolde Gabriel, corporate communications and marketing chief Anna Sell, software development manager Francisco Correa and technical services manager Vanessa Cantt. The team’s marching orders are “creating new initiatives and promoting growth.” Gaffney will continue to work with the company in a consultancy role.
