ASX/NZX Announcement - Change of Senior Manager

Pursuant to NZX Listing Rule 10.6.1(d), SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited advises:

(a) the retirement of John Mortensen, Group Chief Operating Officer, effective from 31 December 2017; and

(b) the appointment of Michael Ahearne as the replacement Group Chief Operating Officer effective from 1 January 2018.

Mr Mortensen leaves SKYCITY to retire to Australia. He originally joined SKYCITY as General Manager SKYCITY Auckland in June 2013 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer New Zealand in January 2015. He was subsequently appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer in April 2016 and, following the arrival of new Chief Executive Officer Graeme Stephens, moved into the newly created Group Chief Operating Officer role in April 2017.

As referenced in the 2017 SKYCITY Annual Report released in August 2017, Mr Mortensen has greatly assisted the transition of Mr Stephens into the business and provided continuity of leadership, particularly for the SKYCITY Auckland team.

Mr Ahearne joins SKYCITY from Paddy Power Betfair, one of the world’s leaders in sports betting and gaming where he has held a number of senior operational and product leadership roles within the European Paddy Power Betfair business based in Dublin, Ireland. Prior to this, Mr Ahearne enjoyed a 13 year career in the Australasian gaming and entertainment sector - 10 years of which were spent at The Star Casino, Sydney, where he held a variety of senior management positions including Chief Operating Officer and, following that, three years as Chief Operating Officer for Aristocrat in the Australia and New Zealand regions. Mr Ahearne is a qualified accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Technology, Sydney.

As Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr Ahearne will have direct responsibility for SKYCITY’s flagship property in Auckland and play a key role across the SKYCITY Group’s other five properties in New Zealand and Australia.

View official announcement.