By Ben Blaschke
Chris Rowe has been named Aristocrat’s new Managing Director Asia-Pacific, taking over the key role from predecessor Vincent Kelly.
Rowe, who first joined Aristocrat in 2004, moves into the region’s top job from his previous role as Sales & Business Development Director for Asia-Pacific where he was responsible for the development and execution of regional sales plans and for maintaining strategic partnerships with customers across more than 10 countries in Asia.
“I am delighted to have been appointed Managing Director, Asia-Pacific for Aristocrat,” Rowe told Inside Asian Gaming.
“This is an exciting part of the world and I am fortunate to have a committed team that is passionate about supporting our customers and helping to drive their success. Working across the region over the last two and a half years has given me insight into just how dynamic and diverse these markets are, along with real belief in the potential that lies ahead.
“Going forward, Aristocrat will continue to focus on further strengthening our partnerships with casino customers in Asia-Pacific. We have an important role in helping our customers meet their challenges, whether that’s in terms of managing complexity, finding growth or responding to change in the market.
“Of course, our mission is to create the world’s greatest gaming experience every day, so we will continue to push ourselves hard to ensure we are offering customers culturally relevant and entertaining gaming experiences, with great quality and a high level of service. That will be my focus, and the focus of everyone in the Aristocrat Asia-Pacific team, throughout my time in this role. I look forward to the opportunity.”
Rowe’s promotion follows the departure of Kelly, who will return to Sydney to focus on family after three years in Macau.
Having started with Aristocrat in 2004 as an intern, Rowe progressed through Aristocrat’s Graduate Development Program with a primary focus on sales and marketing. After spending time in the Global Marketing department at Aristocrat’s headquarters in Sydney, he returned to the US in 2007 to accept a position in Global Product Management. Over the course of seven years, Chris and his team were responsible for driving market requirements across Aristocrat’s major gaming platforms including slot platforms, bonus controllers and downloadable gaming solutions.
He moved to Macau in 2015.