Wilfred Wong
Casino operator Sands China Ltd. has appointed a former member of the National People’s Congress of the PRC, Wilfred Wong, as the company’s new president and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Mr Wong, whose appointment will be effective as of November 1, will be replacing Rob Goldstein, according to a Sands China Ltd. press release issued yesterday.
Mr Goldstein has been serving as Sands China’s interim president since earlier this year. He is also the president and COO of Las Vegas Sands.
The gaming operator stressed that Mr Wong will be joining the company after serving in a variety of senior business roles, including as the chairman and CEO of the Hong Kong listed Hsin Chong Construction Group Ltd.
Mr Wong has also held top management positions in a number of other Hong Kong listed companies in the property development and construction business sectors, including K. Wah International Holdings Limited, Henderson China Holdings Limited and the Shui On Group.
The company also highlighted Mr Wong’s public sector career, as he has served in a variety of positions within the Hong Kong government, and in many posts appointed by the central government. He was elected a member of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China for 15 years from 1997 to 2012.
Mr Wong has also served as a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee; as well as a member of the Preliminary Working Committee and subsequently the Preparatory Committee for the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR.
“Wilfred has a unique combination of private and public sector experience we think will be invaluable to the company at this point in our history. We’ve been a part of the Macau community for more than a decade and our needs, along with our responsibilities to the people of Macau, have changed dramatically since we opened the Sands Macao in 2004,” said Sheldon Adelson, chairman of both Sands China Ltd and Las Vegas Sands.
He added that, “as president of Sands China, Wilfred will be able to put his experience to work helping us chart a path for our next decade of success in Macau.”
Mr Goldstein recalled that, “we reached outside the gaming industry to find an executive who is highly educated, distinguished, and ethical.” According to Sands China’s interim president, “Wilfred’s successful career in business and public service is going to provide the company with a different set of perspectives, insights and approaches that will be valuable to Sands China in the future.”
Sheldon Adelson took over as the CEO of Sands China earlier this year after former Macau CEO Edward Tracy retired. Mr Sheldon said in May that the company would like to hire a Chinese executive for their Macau operations, hopefully one who has dealt with officials in Beijing.
“I suspect that having an influential Chinese person at the helm of the ship would be a distinct positive as it relates to concession renewal, not to mention any other approvals along the way,” stated Union Gaming Group analyst Grant Govertsen, as quoted by Bloomberg.
Sands China is planning to open its USD2.7 billion Parisian Macao project in 2016, as the city’s casino operators hope to draw more mainland Chinese tourists to help offset the drop in VIP gamblers. CP
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