With properties in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, Crown Resorts controls a significant footprint of event space and luxury hotel rooms.
Crown Sydney’s current CEO, Mark McWhinnie, is set to retire, with Crown Resorts’ owner Blackstone bringing in Stanford Le from a casino in Seattle, as his replacement. Le has almost 20 years’ experience in the gaming sector with nearly five years in his current role at the helm of Snoqualmie Casino on the US west coast.
Le has also worked for Sands China, Wynn Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. He is set to start with Crown in October, subject to regulatory approval.
Crown Perth CEO, David Tsai, has moved out of the top job in Perth to become Crown Resorts’ president and group chief operating officer. Tsai joined Crown in December 2022 as Crown Perth CEO.
Subject to regulatory approval, Crown Perth’s CFO, Brian Pereira, will be the property’s interim CEO, while Blackstone looks for a permanent replacement for Tsai.
Meanwhile, Gemma Allman has been appointed chief government relationships officer, moving over from ExxonMobil, where she has been for the past 16 years.
Nicole Pelchen will start as Crown’s chief technology officer on August 12, leaving MUFG Pension & Market Services to join the integrated resort operator. She was previously chief information officer for ANZ’s retail and commercial divisions.
And Louise Tebbutt has been appointed chief people and culture officer. Joining Crown from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, she has previously also held HR roles with Myer and Coles.
“I am delighted to announce David’s expanded role as president and group chief operating officer and to welcome four new veterans in their respective industries – who bring global perspectives and experiences – to Crown Resorts. Stanford, Gemma, Louise and Nicole will be terrific additions to the team at an important time of transformation for the business,” said Crown Resorts CEO, Ciarán Carruthers.
“I would like to thank Mark McWhinnie for his significant efforts leading our extensive reform and remediation program in Sydney over the past three years, which culminated in the regulator finding Crown suitable to operate in NSW.
“Mark’s leadership has been instrumental in evolving our business and we look forward to continuing that focus under Stanford as the new Crown Sydney CEO.”
