Scientific Games names Rick Schneider as chief product officer

Aristocrat Leisure chief product officer Rick Schneider will join rival Scientific Games next year to take on the same role.

Schneider will join Scientific Games in mid-2021 to oversee the company’s research and development and product strategy, working alongside fellow Aristocrat alumni Matt Wilson, who joined Scientific Games in March as CEO of gaming.

Schneider has served as chief product officer at Aristocrat Leisure since 2011 with responsibility for creative studios, hardware development and product design. He has also held executive roles at Walker Digital Table Systems, Acres Gaming, and IGT, and is also a founding member of the Gaming Standards Association.

“Rich's expertise in design, development and gaming makes him the perfect complement to our Scientific Games leadership team,” said Scientific Games chief executive Barry Cottle. “Combining Rich's expertise and creativity with our talented teams will bring industry-leading products and technology to our partners and their players.”

Commenting on his appointment, Schneider said: “I am thrilled to join Scientific Games to work on the next generation of great gaming products. Scientific Games is known for a culture of innovation and has brought amazing developments to our industry from player-favourite games to advanced cabinets and cutting-edge systems. It's going to be a lot of fun to work with this team to deliver the next gaming innovations.”

Scientific Games group chief executive of gaming Matt Wilson added: “Rich has an incredible ability to build a culture that allows creative talent to thrive. He's overseen complex transformations of product organizations and our team will benefit greatly from his expertise and leadership.”

Shares in Scientific Games Corp. (NSQ:SGMS) closed 4.87 per cent lower at $9.18 per share in New York Tuesday.