Scientific Games Corporation has confirmed the appointment today of Connie James as Executive Vice President, CFO, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary, effective October 15, 2021.
James has served as CFO 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, 2021.
President and CEO Barry Cottle stated: “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.”
On Eklund’s tenure as CFO, Cottle added: “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.”
James commented on her appointment: “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.”
