GGRAsia – Novomatic’s CEO Harald Neumann steps down

Novomatic’s CEO Harald Neumann steps down

Mar 02, 2020 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News

Austria-based gaming equipment maker and operator Novomatic AG says the firm’s chief executive Harald Neumann (pictured in a file photo) has stepped down from his position, with effect from Saturday (February 29). The company said Mr Neumann was resigning “due to family reasons”. He had been appointed CEO in October 2014.

In a Friday press release, Novomatic said Mr Neumann would continue to have supervisory board functions and to advise the company on international projects.

The release quoted Novomatic’s chairman of the supervisory board Bernd Oswald as saying: “On behalf of company founder professor Johann Graf and the supervisory board of Novomatic AG, I would like to thank Mr Neumann for his great commitment as chairman of the management board over the past six years.”

He added: “Mr Neumann made a significant contribution to the successful expansion of the group. His personal wish to resign from his position at the end of the month was granted with regret.”

Novomatic said also that Ryszard Presch and Johannes Gratzl would take over the management board responsibilities previously held by Mr Neumann, and would jointly work as “a management team” to lead the group.

In September, Novomatic announced that the size of the firm’s executive board had been halved, to three members.

The company also said that its profit for the first half of 2019 had declined by 68.8 percent year-on-year to EUR34.3 million (US$37.9 million).