International Game Technology PLC (IGT), a United States-based supplier of casino and lottery games, says it has appointed information technology (IT) expert Samantha Ravich as an independent director.
The company announced in writing on Wednesday that Ms Ravich (pictured) had taken her seat on the board the day before, and had been made a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
The IGT announcement noted that Ms Ravich chairs the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and its Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab. She also serves on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board – an assisting body to the Executive Office of the U.S. President; the Cyberspace Solarium Commission; and the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board in the U.S.
Ms Ravich is also a managing partner of A2P LLC, an advertising-focused digital technology firm, and is a governor of the Gemological Institute of America.
She once served as deputy national security adviser to Dick Cheney, a U.S. Vice President, according to the IGT announcement.
The document quoted IGT chairman Lorenzo Pellicioli as saying of Ms Ravich: “Samantha’s extensive experience and focus on cybersecurity are welcome complements to the existing expertise of our board members.”
A number of casino equipment suppliers has outlined to GGRAsia the need for constant updates to operational practices to protect the security and integrity of hardware and software in traditional casinos, as well as in the digital online gaming products many of them now offer.
In June IGT announced it had achieved responsible gaming accreditation for its IGT PlayDigital operations from the Global Gambling Guidance Group.
