Connie James

Light & Wonder Announces CFO Transition

Published

10 months ago

July 5, 2023

Light & Wonder Inc. announced that effective August 25, 2023, Connie James, the Company’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary, will be stepping down from her role at the Company to pursue another opportunity that will allow her to further advance her long-term professional objectives outside the gaming industry. Following Ms. James’ departure, Oliver Chow, the Company’s current Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, will assume the role of Interim CFO until a permanent successor is appointed.

The Light & Wonder Board of Directors has initiated a search process to identify the Company’s next CFO and has retained a leading search firm to assist in evaluating both internal and external candidates for the role.

Matt Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Light & Wonder, said: “Connie has played a key role in advancing Light & Wonder’s cultural and financial transformation, which has led to operational excellence, double-digit growth and a strengthened balance sheet. She also helped us build a deep and talented finance team that will help provide a smooth transition to the next chapter of financial leadership within the Company. On behalf of the Board and management team, I wish her well in her future endeavors.”

Ms. James said: “Serving alongside such a talented team has been a highlight of my career, and I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished together. We have scaled our business, evolved our capital allocation strategy and driven considerable efficiencies that have created a stronger, more flexible Light & Wonder. I am confident that Light & Wonder is well-positioned for continued success, and I am focused on ensuring a seamless transition over the coming months.”

Mr. Wilson added: “We are pleased and fortunate to have a leader of Oliver’s caliber step into the role of Interim CFO. With more than 15 years of entertainment and gaming leadership experience and deep financial expertise, we are confident that Oliver is well-positioned to support the continued execution of our financial priorities while the Board conducts its search.”

Prior to joining Light & Wonder in October 2022, Mr. Chow spent five years in senior-level finance roles at Aristocrat, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer – Americas, EMEA and Customer Experience. Previously, he served in various financial roles with Universal Pictures, Deluxe Entertainment Services and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Mr. Chow is also a current Board member of United Way of Southern Nevada, where he serves as Board Treasurer. He received a BS in Business Administration from the University at Albany, SUNY and an Executive MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Related Topics:Connie James Industry News latest-news Light & Wonder Inc.Matt Wilson Oliver Chow

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Barry Cottle

Scientific Games Appoints Connie James as its New CFO

Published

3 years ago

September 20, 2021

GamingAmericas.com

Scientific Games Corporation has announced the appointment of Connie James as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Corporate Secretary, effective October 15, 2021.

Connie James has served as Chief Financial Officer of Scientific Games’ Gaming business since January 6, 2020. Current CFO Mike Eklund will be stepping down to pursue other opportunities and will remain with the Company until October 15.

“Since joining Scientific Games, Connie has helped lead the Gaming business through the unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19 and played a critical role in our strategic review and developing our vision to become the leading cross-platform global game company. As we advance our strategy to become a content-led growth company, we are confident that Connie is the right executive to take the reins to help us achieve our vision and drive long-term shareholder value,” Barry Cottle, President and CEO of Scientific Games, said.

“Mike was instrumental in building a best-in-class finance organization with a deep bench of talent and helping to drive significant and consistent improvement in our financial results. He also played a critical role in our strategic review and the planned divestitures of our Lottery and Sports Betting businesses to advance our exciting, transformative trajectory. We delivered record results in the second quarter, and the business continues to perform well in the third quarter. We are moving rapidly as we execute on our strategy and the planned divestitures are well-progressed. As we have previously advised, there is very strong interest in the businesses we intend to divest, and the discussions to date continue to give us confidence that the divestitures will unlock substantial value for our shareholders. On behalf of the Board and management team, I wish Mike the best in his future endeavors,” Barry Cottle added.

“Scientific Games is a company with enormous potential as we execute on our strategy to de-lever our balance sheet, invest in growth for the future and unlock value for our stakeholders. I am excited to work closely with Barry and the rest of our team as we capitalize on high growth opportunities available to us over the coming years,” Connie James said.

“I am incredibly proud of our team and what we have accomplished. With the progress we have made and the Company’s transformation taking hold, I know that our finance team is in capable hands with Connie at the helm and that Scientific Games is set for an exciting future,” Mike Eklund said.