David Attenborough left his position as CEO of Tabcorp in May of last year after leading the company for over 12 years. At the time of his departure, Tabcorp’s lottery operations were being separated from its wagering, media, and gaming services. Before working at Tabcorp, Attenborough was the CEO for Phumelela Gaming and Leisure in South Africa for six and a half years. He also spent 11 years in various gambling-focused roles at the Hilton Group.
Attenborough has been proposed for the non-executive director (NED) role at SkyCity, but his appointment is pending regulatory approval in the gaming jurisdictions where the company operates. SkyCity aims to complete this approval process and finalize the appointment by 1 March. Attenborough has already agreed to take on the new role, and his extensive experience in the gambling industry, corporate governance, and sustainability will bring valuable expertise to the SkyCity board, according to SkyCity chair Julian Cook.
Last month, it was announced that SkyCity Adelaide, a land-based casino operated by SkyCity, is facing federal court proceedings by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) for anti-money laundering failings. Austrac alleges that SkyCity Adelaide demonstrated a pattern of serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws. The civil penalty proceedings come after an investigation into SkyCity, which the company was notified of in June 2021. This investigation was initiated as part of an industry-wide compliance campaign in September 2019.
