John Shigley, chief operating officer (COO) of gaming for Macau casino firm MGM China Holdings Ltd, is to leave Macau “later this year”, the company confirmed in an email responding to an enquiry from GGRAsia.
“John will leave Macau later in the year. MGM China is conducting a search for a successor,” stated the gaming operator.
It said he was returning to the United States “to be closer to his growing family”. The statement added Mr Shigley had spent the last eight years in Asia, of his aggregate 16 years with the MGM Resorts International group, the parent of MGM China.
The statement didn’t clarify whether the executive would continue to work with the parent group on his return to the United States.
Mr Shigley played a key role in the February launch of the US$3.4-billion MGM Cotai casino resort (pictured). According to filings by MGM China, the executive has responsiblity for “casino operations, casino marketing, VIP marketing and VIP operations” at MGM Macau – the group’s first Macau venue, located in the city’s traditional downtown casino district – and at MGM Cotai.
Mr Shigley had previously been involved with the pre-opening phase of the Grand Ho Tram Strip casino resort project in Vietnam, when at that time MGM Resorts had a branding and management deal with the resort promoters. In March 2013, MGM Resorts said in a U.S. filing it was terminating the deal due to the project promoters having – as of that time – missed certain development milestones.
MGM China’s 2017 annual report filed in Hong Kong on March 22, said Mr Shigley has been with MGM China since January 2014, and with MGM Resorts since 2002. His age at the time the report was written was given as 61.
According to the email to us from MGM China, Mr Shigley began his gaming and finance career in 1978.
