Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | September 2012 42 Asian Gaming 50 – 2012 38 Tristan Sjöberg Executive Chairman TCS JOHNHUXLEY TCS JOHNHUXLEY is in full growth mode in Asia with a new team and new technologies promising to maximize performance and profitability in Asia’s table- centric gaming markets. The global manufacturer and supplier of live gaming products is restructuring its technical services and support network in the region, expanding its warehouse facilities and bulking up its offices in Macau and Singapore with a number of fresh faces in sales and marketing. The company’s heightened focus on Asia comes from the top down. In July, Tristan Sjöberg took up the role of executive chairman of the UK-based company, relinquishing his former title of managing director Asia. Mr Sjöberg remains based in Singapore and has placed Rebecca Kingswell in charge of day-to-day runningof Asia operations. The company’s November 2011 appointment of Cath Burns—Bally to further its ongoing Asia expansion. That expansion began in earnest when Mr Sjöberg relocated to Singapore from London at the start of 2009 and got involved in the long-term development of manufacturing, sales, service and support capabilities in Asia. In addition to supplying leading casinos in Macau and Singapore, TCS JOHNHUXLEY has also completed major projects at the Savan Vegas casino in Laos, NagaWorld in Cambodia and Kangwon Land, currently the only casino in South Korea available to Korean nationals. Under Mr Sjöberg’s leadership, TCS JOHNHUXLEY has developed a policy of sourcing materials regionally where possible and has assembled a talented pool of technical development staff. Furthermore, through its offices in Macau and Singapore the company has learned a great deal about the needs and preferences of Asia’s casino operators and players and has recently come out with a number of applications tailored specifically for the region. Among its most recent releases is Gaming Floor Live, a real- time game-optimization tool designed to maximize performance and profitability in key areas on the floor. 39 Kurt Gissane Managing Director, Asia-Pacific Bally Technologies Kurt Gissane was promoted to his current position in November last year, taking over the title previously held by the widely respected Cath Burns, who has moved to London to assume her new role as Global CEO of TCS JOHNHUXLEY. Mr Gissane now manages Bally’s day-to-day business operations and customer relationships throughout the region. Mr Gissane has lived and worked in Macau since early 2005, witnessing first- hand the breakneck pace of development of the local gaming industry since the arrival of the first post-monopoly casinos in 2004. He joined Bally in 2009 and previously served as the company’s director of Sales and Operations for the region. Prior to joining Bally, he worked nine years at Aristocrat. Mr Gissane’s abilities led to him being invited into Bally’s President’s Club for outstanding sales in his first two years with the company. He is well-known for his commitment to forging strong relationships with customers, which no doubt has contributed to his success over the years. The basis of those relationships is “transparency and mutual respect,” as he explained recently to Inside Asian Gaming . “I think rather than looking at it as a selling operation, it’s about forming true business partnerships, long-term partnerships, and that’s very important for me and the Bally team. That’s very important in this day and age. We’re a provider of systems, games, and now mobile and online gaming business solutions through our new Bally Interactive division. We’re advisors to our partners in the interests of improving their operational efficiency or helping them increase their revenues.” Bally is in the process of becoming more Asia-focused, recently releasing several games designed specifically for the region’s markets and setting up a dedicated game development team based in India. Mr Gissane and the Macau office have been providing significant input to that development team, and the fruits of their labor should boost Bally’s Asia profile over the coming year. Technologies’ widely respected former head of Asia-Pacific—as global CEO has also gained it valuable regional know-how