Canada
GAME PLAY NETWORK EXPANDS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH FOUR INDUSTRY INNOVATORS
Game Play Network, Inc. – which offers iGaming to 40% more of the population than any other provider – announced four additions to its leadership team: Aaron Fischer, CFO and Chief Strategy Officer; Sam Kiki, Chief Commercial Officer; Bryan Lindsey, SVP of Gaming Operations; and Tod Lower, Chief Operating Officer. This seasoned team of gambling industry veterans will help take GPN’s first-of-its-kind iGaming platform into its next stage of growth and accelerate the company’s footprint as it opens up unrivaled access to iGaming beyond the 22 states in which it operates today.
“We’re committed to investing in great talent to continue our long history of pioneering the iGaming marketplace,” said David Marshall, co-founder, and CEO of Game Play Network. “The additional expertise Aaron, Sam, Bryan, and Tod add to our team is second to none. Bryan has a long history of building and running entertainment and gambling venues. And the reunion of the Aaron and Sam duo, who together took MGM Resorts to the leading edge of digital wagering with BetMGM, will undoubtedly be a rocket booster to the company.”
Added Russell Fine, President and Chief Technology Officer, “Tod is a proven change management leader, with a track record of driving operational excellence and high growth on both the top and bottom lines.”
“I am excited to join a leading innovator in the gaming industry,” shared Aaron Fischer. “We are accelerating the strategic execution and implementation of our iGaming B2B business model, which expands the TAM and profitability for our strategic partners, while building substantial enterprise value for GPN stakeholders.”
Aaron Fischer joins Game Play Network as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. He will be responsible for GPN’s corporate strategy, business development, investor relations and capital markets strategies. Before joining GPN, Aaron served as the Chief Strategy Officer for MGM Resorts International, where he led corporate strategy across the brand’s global portfolio, including online sports betting and iGaming. Previously, he spent twelve years at CLSA as the Head of Consumer and Gaming Research. Aaron also worked for five years at Goldman Sachs as an equity research analyst specializing in luxury goods. He started his career as an accountant at Arthur Andersen in Australia.
As the company’s new Chief Commercial Officer, Sam Kiki will be instrumental in driving the B2B growth engine and further commercializing the company’s unique platform. In his new role, Sam will oversee all B2B partnerships with online gaming companies, game developers, technology providers and social game companies. He will also co-direct capital market activities with Aaron Fischer. Sam currently sits on the Board of SuperDraft, Inc., Caesars Entertainments’ daily fantasy platform. Previously, he was the Head of Strategy at Caesars Entertainment where he orchestrated the brand’s online sportsbook and iGaming strategy, which led to the $4B acquisition of William Hill as well as the strategic investment into SuperDraft. Sam also co-led many other social gaming, live dealer and business development projects at Caesars including its unified wallet project. He was also instrumental in Caesars PR and media presence in the online wagering industry and assisted in separate transactions with ESPN and the NFL, deepening both partnerships in the process. Before Caesars, Sam advised a U.S.-based private equity firm and was responsible for due diligence on interactive investments for one of its publicly listed vehicles. He also held an operational role at MGM focusing on interactive gaming, sports betting, corporate strategy and investor relations. Sam graduated with a B.A. in neuroscience from Amherst.
Bryan Lindsey joins GPN as its Senior Vice President of Gaming Operations. With more than 25 years of experience building successful companies both domestically and internationally, Bryan will leverage his expertise in gaming operations, integrated resort strategy and casino marketing. With his depth of knowledge in brick and mortar gaming operations, he will lead GPN”s expansion into retail deployments nationwide. He began his career in food & beverage operations, joining Robert Earl running many of his international-themed restaurant brands. Bryan then joined Las Vegas-based billionaire brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta at the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, which grew to become the largest brewery restaurant group in the U.S. He continued his successful run with the Fertitta brothers, making his way to Station Casinos in the early stages and was instrumental in their explosive local and national growth. Station Casinos / Red Rock Resorts, the publicly traded casino empire that dominates the Las Vegas locals market, is where he cut his teeth in gaming and resort operations. Bryan was President and General Manager of Red Rock Resort before he joined Wynn
Resorts as a Senior Level Consultant. He worked closely with CEO Matt Maddox and President & CFO Craig Billings on operations, gaming strategy, loyalty programs, marketing and data science.
As GPN’s new Chief Operating Officer, Tod Lower is responsible for its day-to-day business operations, such as supporting strategic initiatives and accelerating revenue growth and profitability. He brings over twenty years of operational experience across complex, competitive business environments. Early in his career, Tod served as a Vice President at Bank of America with responsibility for creating innovative analyses of business strategies, models and performance metrics. This led to Tod becoming the Chief Operating Officer of GC Aesthetics, an emerging company in the global medical industry, where he was responsible for building the operations of the company which led to its growth and success. Most recently, Tod spent seven years leading the LVNV Group, a highly specialized boutique firm focused on the strategic transformation of global organizations seeking demonstrative change and transformative results. While there, he worked with MGM Resorts to implement development, collaboration and cultural changes to increase synergies across a number of departments. As the company’s COO, Tod will leverage his extensive experience in the global gaming, entertainment, hospitality and banking industries.
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