LAS VEGAS, NV – Scientific Games has announced the appointment of Connie James as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary, effective Oct. 15, 2021. James has served as CFO of Scientific Games’ Gaming business since Jan. 6, 2020. Current CFO Mike Eklund will be stepping down to pursue other opportunities and will remain with the company until Oct. 15, 2021.
“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 Barry Cottle, Scientific Games President and CEO. “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.”
“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,” said James. “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.”
“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,” said Cottle. “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.”
“I am incredibly proud of our team and what we have accomplished,” said Eklund. “With the progress we have made and the company’s transformation taking hold, I know that our finance team is in capable hands with Connie at the helm and that Scientific Games is set for an exciting future.”
James is a financial executive with nearly 20 years of gaming experience in financial and operational roles. Prior to joining Scientific Games as CFO of the Gaming business in January 2020, James served as the Corporate Vice President Finance – Business Operations and Supply Chain at Cargill. Previously, she spent nearly 10 years in a variety of leadership positions at Aristocrat Leisure Limited, including CFO of Global Land Based Gaming and CFO of Americas and Business Operations. During her time with Aristocrat, she was instrumental in driving record growth and evolving the business through social acquisitions. Prior, James served as a Manager of Risk Services with Deloitte Australia.