Crown CEO Carruthers resigns

Crown Resorts chief executive Ciarán Carruthers will step down after nearly two years in the role. He will remain in position until 31 December.

Crown Australia

Several media outlets report that president and chief operating officer David Tsai will take over Carruthers’ duties from 1 September. Tsai will act as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.

During his tenure, Carruthers guided Crown through regulatory scrutiny and government sanctions over breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism laws, according to the Financial Review. He also led a restructuring that included more than 1,000 job cuts.

The announcement comes about a month after Crown reorganised its executive team. Tsai, formerly head of Crown’s Perth property, was appointed to an executive role, while Brian Pereira moved from CFO of Crown Perth to interim CEO during the search for a permanent replacement. Nicole Pelchen became chief technology officer, and Gemma Allman joined as chief government relations officer.

The Nightly reports Carruthers stated, “now is an appropriate time to depart and pursue other interests.” He reportedly also expressed pride in his team’s achievements over the past two years.

Carruthers views tenure as a success

“We have successfully navigated Crown Resorts through a period of intense transformation and remediation, culminating in Crown Melbourne and Sydney being approved by their respective state regulators, with the Crown Perth transformation programme now well underway,” he said.

Carruthers, an Irish national, was among several high-profile executives recruited by Blackstone following its 2022 acquisition of Crown for AU$8.9bn (£4.5bn/$6bn/€5.4bn). He joined after decades of experience at major casinos, including Wynn Macau.

Earlier this year, he expressed confidence that Crown would maintain licences in Sydney and Melbourne, which were successfully retained. Crown continues to await the outcome of a review of its Perth operations.

Carruthers cleared in investigation

Carruthers’ tenure was not without challenges. In December 2023, he faced an investigation over claims that he had overruled security staff to allow intoxicated patrons back into Melbourne Casino.

It was alleged he permitted re-entry for customers removed by security. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in February.

Casino officer Justin Casey is also set to step down on 31 August, with plans to retire.