New York-listed Penn National Gaming has named Barclays executive Felicia Hendrix as its next chief financial officer.

Hendrix will assume her new role in March after more than 20 years as a research analyst covering the gaming, lodging and leisure industries, most recently as managing director at Barclays.

She replaces David Williams as executive vice president and CFO following his decision to step down last week after less than one year in the role due to the challenges of working remotely.

“To say my relatively brief tenure at Penn National was a roller coaster ride would be an understatement. We went from the excitement of announcing our new partnership with Barstool Sports to the temporary shutdown of all of our operating assets in my first two months on the job,” said Williams, who has agreed to stay with the company in a temporary advisory role to help ensure a smooth transition.

“I am very proud of the way our Company responded to the unprecedented challenges the pandemic presented, and the role I played in helping to raise more than $1 billion in new equity to be able to weather the storm. While I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the incredible team at Penn, the challenges of continuing to work remotely from the West Coast and the potential strain of a relocation of my family during the ongoing pandemic has led me to this difficult decision.”

Jay Snowden, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, commented: “I want to express my sincere appreciation to Dave for his dedication and support of our Company over the past year. He was quickly thrown into the fire, and I’m grateful for the way he stepped up and helped us navigate our way through the shutdowns of our casinos, ensuing companywide furloughs, and successful capital raises. We wish him all the very best in his future pursuits.”

“Fortunately, we have someone of Felicia’s caliber and exhaustive experience on Wall Street as an equity research analyst — who happens to have covered Penn for the last two decades — to step in as our new CFO,” he added. “I have long admired Felicia and her deep knowledge of the gaming industry, impressive work ethic, sharp wit and attention to detail. I’m confident she’ll be able to hit the ground running in her new role, and we couldn’t be happier to have her officially join our Penn National Gaming family.”

Shares in Penn National Gaming Inc. (NSQ:PENN) closed 6.34 per cent lower at $80.89 per share in New York Monday.