Scientific Games appoints Connie James as new finance chief

New York-listed gaming and lottery supplier Scientific Games has named Connie James as chief financial officer (CFO).

James will begin her new role as executive vice president and CFO, Treasurer and corporate secretary on 15 October, taking over from current CFO Mike Eklund, who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities.

James has served as CFO of Scientific Games’ Gaming business since January 2020, and prior to that spent more than nine years in CFO roles at rival supplier Aristocrat.

“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,” said Scientific Games president and CEO Barry Cottle.

“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.”

Commenting on her appointment, James said: “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.”

Eklund has served as Scientific Games’ CFO since June 2020 and has played a critical role in the company’s strategic review and the planned divestitures of its Lottery and Sports Betting businesses.

“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,” Cottle added. “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 joins a growing list of former Aristocrat executives who now serve at Scientific Games, including chief product officer Rick Schneider, EVP and Gaming Group CEO Matt Wilson, chief commercial officer for Gaming Siobhan Lane, chairman Jamie Odell, and executive vice chair Toni Korsanos.

Shares in Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ:SGMS) closed 3.62 per cent lower at $76.52 per share in New York Friday.