After a long CEO search that threatened never to end, Shufflemaster has found its man. And it’s not just anybody rather, but Gavin Isaacs … most recently the president COO of Bally Technologies since 2006, during which time he helped turn that company around. Prior to Bally, Isaacs (left) ran the U.S. branch of Aristocrat Technologies before quitting after a clash with Aristocrat Leisure CEO Paul Oneile. The latter’s tenure was a bust and he’s not been heard from in two years. Although Isaacs takes office at Shufflemaster on April 1, this is anything but an April Fool’s joke. Interim CEO David Lopez resumes his “day job” as Shufflemaster’s COO.
While Isaacs’ resume tilts toward the slot side of the gaming floor, particularly in the realm of game development, he’s sharp as a tack and probably won’t have much of a “learning curve” at his new post. In a strange and morbid twist of fate, Isaacs was supplanted at Aristocrat by the late Timothy Parrott (who fell on his sword when Oneile left), an executive who went on to become Isaacs’ predecessor at Shufflemaster before mortal illness forced him to step down.
Meanwhile back at the Bally ranch, CEO Richard Haddrill lost no time filling Isaacs’ shoes, promoting executive veep and systems expert Ramesh Srinivasan president. A six-year Bally veteran, Srinivasan (pictured) has been part of a very stable regime. Shufflemaster, by contrast, has been plagued by frequent changes in the executive suite, so here’s hoping Capt. Isaacs can steer it to calmer waters.
