SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited has announced that Richard Didsbury has retired as a director of the company with immediate effect following the blaze that broke out on the roof of its new US$450 million New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland last month.
Didsbury, who joined the SkyCity Board in July 2012, had been the man in charge of overseeing development of the NZICC and connected Horizon Hotel development project as Chair of the Board’s NZICC Committee, SkyCity said.
His decision to stand down was made in order to avoid any conflict with his role as Chair of the Northern Express Group, whose investors include the Accident Compensation Corporation and Public Infrastructure Partners II LP, ACCIONA Concesiones and NZICC developer Fletcher Building Limited.
SkyCity said it has commenced the search for a new director to take Didsbury’s place.
Originally to open in 2020, the International Convention Centre is one of the key features of SkyCity’s upgrade works at SkyCity Auckland. However, Fletcher Building Ltd has since flagged expected delays to the project’s completion as a result of the fire, which saw all casino operations shut down and guests evacuated when it broke out late last month.