Hong Kong-listed Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings Ltd (APE) has announced the appointment of Maria Garcia (pictured) to the company’s board, with effect from September 30.
Ms Garcia is the group’s “first female director since the company’s listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2017,” according to a Wednesday press release.
The group, via its subsidiaries, is a distributor of electronic gaming equipment in Macau, and also provides such technology to land-based casinos in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
Ms Garcia currently oversees the “company’s growth and development” in Macau and in Southeast Asian markets, stated the announcement.
The update said Ms Garcia started at APE in 2006 as sales director at the corporate sales and marketing department, serving for six years before leaving the group “to pursue various roles within the gaming sector, and founding her own business”.
She rejoined APE in 2020 as a business consultant and “resumed her role as sales director for Macau and Southeast Asia in December 2022,” said the company.
The announcement cited Herman Ng, chief executive and executive director of APE, as saying that the company was “delighted to welcome” Ms Garcia to the board.
He added: “I have had the pleasure of working with her for over a decade. She is an industry expert with extensive knowledge, experience, and a wide network of connections. I am confident she will excel in this role.”
Speaking about her new position, Ms Garcia said in prepared remarks that it was a “true honour” to join APE’s board as the group’s first female director.
She added: “The past few years have been challenging for the company, particularly due to the impact of the global pandemic. I am proud of our resilience and the progress we’ve made together during these times.”
APE sharply cut its first-half loss to HKD638,929 (US$82,190), on revenue that rose by 159.6 percent year-on-year to just above HKD19.9 million.
