Geoff Hogg has relinquished his position as temporary leader of the Australian gaming behemoth, Star Entertainment Group. This comes just under four months after he assumed the role.
Hogg is the third Star Entertainment chief executive to step down this year.
Hogg took over the leadership position on an interim basis in June, becoming the third individual to head the company in three months.
Matt Bekier stepped down as chief executive and managing director in late March, following concerns raised in a New South Wales investigation into Star Entertainment’s operations. John O’Neill, who replaced Bekier, also departed after less than two months as executive chairman.
Hogg was acting CEO while Ben Heap was appointed temporary head of the business. Hogg will now depart from that position and all other roles at Star Entertainment.
In July, it was announced that Robbie Cooke would take on the position of managing director and chief executive of Star Entertainment on a full-time basis. However, a date for his arrival at the company has not yet been determined.
The Star Entertainment board has accepted Hogg’s resignation, but his final departure date has not yet been established. Hogg will continue to collaborate with the board to ensure a seamless handover of his executive duties.
Heap will immediately take on the role of temporary executive chairman, a position he will hold until Cooke joins the group.
The celestial body has indicated that Heap rejected any extra payment during his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer.
Soon after Bell’s report was made public, Heap outlined the operator’s main goals for immediately addressing the concerns raised by Bell.
Adam Bell SC’s investigation into widespread wrongdoing at Star Sydney concluded that the company’s interactions with the troubled VIP room operator SunCity constituted a violation of Star’s casino permit and uncovered a series of social responsibility shortcomings.
Hogg’s exit follows Star being deemed unsuitable to hold a casino license by New South Wales earlier this month and being given two weeks to respond to the findings or face disciplinary measures.
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