Aristocrat chairman Blackburne to step down in Feb

Wednesday 3rd of October 2018

Aristocrat Leisure Ltd has announced the stepping down of its chairman, Dr. Ian Blackburne, effective February 21, 2019.

In his place, Aristocrat has appointed current non-executive director Mr. Neil Chatfield to succeed Dr. Blackburne as chairman of the company when the time comes.

According to a filing from Aristocrat to the ASX, Dr. Blackburne has been a member of the Aristocrat Board since 2009, and chairman since 2010.

Speaking of Neil, Dr Blackburne said he was “delighted to have an individual of Neil’s calibre to succeed me as chairman.

“Neil’s depth of experience across some of Australia’s most successful and dynamic growth companies will be extremely valuable to the Board and broader organization going forward.”

On his appointment, Mr. Chatfield said: “I look forward to working closely with my fellow directors and the management team to ensure we continue to unlock Aristocrat’s exciting growth opportunities across both land-based and digital markets globally.”

Mr. Chatfield joined the Aristocrat board in February 2018. In addition to his role at Aristocrat, Mr. Chatfield is the non-executive chairman of Costa Group and non-executive director of Transurban Group.

He is the outgoing non-executive chairman of Seek Ltd.., and was previously chair of Virgin Australia and a non-executive director of Recall Holdings and Iron Mountain Inc.

He has over 40 years of experience in global business, with particular expertise in using innovation and technology to drive long-term sustainable growth, according to the filing.