GGRAsia – Jamie Odell to advise Sci Games on growth strategies

Jamie Odell to advise Sci Games on growth strategies

May 29, 2019 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, Top of the deck, World

United States-based supplier of gaming equipment Scientific Games Corp says veteran gaming executive Jamie Odell (pictured) has joined the company as special advisor to, respectively, the group’s chairman and its chief executive. Mr Odell is a former CEO of Australia-based slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, a position he left in early 2017, after an eight-year tenure.

Mr Odell will be an advisor to Scientific Games board chairman Ronald Perelman “on gaming industry trends and market innovations,” said the company in a Tuesday press release. “In addition, Mr Odell will work with company CEO Barry Cottle to support current growth strategies across the company,” it added.

Mr Perelman was quoted as saying in the release: “The addition of Jamie will significantly enhance our ability to reach new players and markets as well as drive growth across the company.”

Also quoted in the release, Scientific Games’ CEO said Mr Odell’s advice and support would be “invaluable” as the company implements its growth strategies.

“Jamie is known the world over as an executive with a proven track record of success and a gaming expert who has driven market-leading innovation and player engagement strategies for more than a decade,” said Mr Cottle in a prepared statement.

When Aristocrat announced Mr Odell’s departure in late 2016, the company said that during his tenure as CEO, the company’s market capitalisation had grown from approximately AUD1.7 billion (US$1.2 billion at current exchange rates) at the time of his appointment to a “recent all-time high” of about AUD10.6 billion.

In Tuesday’s release, Mr Odell was quoted saying that he aimed to support Scientific Games’ current growth strategies, in order to help the company’s leadership team in its commitment “to drive our industry into the future”.