Veteran casino executive Hakan Dagtas (pictured in a file photo) has confirmed to GGRAsia that he resigned on Saturday as chief operating officer (COO) at Newport World Resorts “for personal reasons”.
Quizzed about his future plans in the industry, he replied: “First I will be taking a holiday.”
Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, the entity that runs Newport World Resorts, said in a statement sent to GGRAsia on Monday that it had appointed Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez as president and chief executive, and Lance Gautreaux as COO.
Both appointments were with effect from June 1, Travellers International said.
Mr Rodriguez had been appointed in August 2022 as chief strategy officer of Newport World Resorts. Mr Gautreaux had been named chief casino officer in September last year.
“The appointments conclude the year-long transition plan for Travellers International since its holding company, Alliance Global Group Inc, assumed full ownership on May 30, 2023,” the statement added.
In May last year it was announced that Alliance Global had agreed to acquire the stake of the now-defunct Genting Hong Kong Ltd in the operator of Newport World Resorts.
Travellers International said in its Monday statement that former president and CEO Kingson Sian had “officially retired from the company” after being at the helm of the firm “since it started 16 years ago as the country’s first integrated resort developer”.
It added: Mr Sian “had initially deferred his planned retirement in 2022 to lead the company through the transition period.”
Travellers International said that also leaving their posts effective June 1 were Mr Dagtas and chief financial officer Bernard Than, “who were both part of Alliance Global’s former venture partner in the company.”
In a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Alliance Global said that, effective June 3, Mr Sian had also “relinquished his position as director, president, and COO” of the firm, following his retirement from Travellers International.
Alliance Global added that company chief executive and vice-chairman Kevin Tan had been appointed as president of the company to “serve the unexpired term of Mr. Sian”.
In mid-May, Travellers International reported that its first-quarter consolidated net profit attributable to the owners declined about 96 percent year-on-year to PHP8 million (US$136,700 currently), compared to PHP214 million in the prior-year quarter.
Mr Dagtas joined the former Resorts World Manila in 2008 prior to the property – next door to Manila International Airport – opening to the public. Before that he had worked for Star Cruises, a former cruise ship brand that was controlled by Genting group via the now-defunct Genting Hong Kong. The latter entered liquidation in January 2022.
Genting Hong Kong had been a joint investor in Resorts World Manila, alongside Philippine conglomerate Alliance Global.
In July 2022 it was announced that Resorts World Manila was changing name to Newport World Resorts.
(Updated June 4, 8.30am)
