Crown Resorts Appoints Anne Ward as a Non-Executive Director

Australia’s largest casino and hospitality company, Crown Resorts, has added a new name to its leadership team. Anne Ward will be joining the operator, stepping into the shoes of a non-executive director.

Ward Joins Crown Resorts

Ward came to power as a director on January 13. It was confirmed that she had passed all approvals from the country’s gambling regulator.  Her appointment was first announced back on September 29 last year, at about the same time Crown Resorts appointed Craig Durham as the company’s group company secretary and legal counsel.

Ward is a skilled individual with years of experience in various fields. She has worked in various positions in companies providing education, financial services, technology, and tourism. She has also worked in governmental positions and has been a part of the healthcare system.

Other than becoming Crown Resorts’ non-executive director, Wards will retain her current positions as a chairwoman of Redbubble and MNF Group and a council member of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Ward Is Joining In Turbulent Times for Crown

As someone from Melbourne, Ward shared that Crown Resorts is a company that has been a part of her life for many years. She said that she is excited by the opportunity to join Crown and help the company’s future by contributing to the board.

She is joining the operator in a turbulent period as a while ago, Crown Resorts became the center of a controversy. Following an inquiry by the Royal Commission in Victoria, it was deemed that Crown is unfit to continue operating because it breached the Casino Control Act.

Crown came close to having its Victoria license revoked after it was “discovered that for many years Crown Melbourne had engaged in conduct that is disgraceful.” Despite Crown’s breach of regulations, the commission eventually decided to show some leniency and gave Crown a two-year probation period.

Since then, the Crown vowed to change. Some significant reshuffling to the leadership team was introduced, with many directors leaving the company. The only director who wasn’t changed was Jane Halton who will now be working together with Ward. Halton recently left her position as a chairwoman and was replaced by. Zygmunt Edward “Ziggy” Switkowski whom Crown Resorts acquired in efforts to mitigate the post-inquiry harm.  Halton welcomed Ward on board by saying:

“Her appointment further strengthens the mix of capability and experience as we continue the refresh of the board.”

Non-executive director Jane Halton

Crown is on the path to clearing its name. As a director, Ward will have the responsible task of demonstrating that the company can do better and that it deserved the probation it was granted.