Aristocrat Leisure has turned to its own ranks to fill its top job, selecting current chief commercial officer Dafne Guisard to lead the gaming giant.
Guisard will leave Aristocrat’s London base and relocate to Las Vegas to assume the chief executive role, marking a significant personal and professional transition.
The appointment follows a search process in which the company evaluated both internal and external candidates before settling on Guisard as the preferred choice.
Aristocrat chairman Neil Chatfield made the board’s thinking clear, stating: “The board considers Dafne the ideal choice to succeed Trevor.”
Guisard’s elevation to CEO-elect was announced on November 12, with the formal handover expected to take place in April 2026, pending the required regulatory approvals.
Outgoing CEO and managing director Trevor Croker will not make an immediate exit from the business, instead staying on to assist his successor through the changeover period.
Croker has committed to supporting Guisard for 12 months from the date of the transition announcement, providing continuity during a critical phase for the company.
The overlap arrangement reflects a deliberate effort by Aristocrat’s board to ensure leadership stability as the company transitions between two executives with very different backgrounds and tenures.
Guisard herself expressed enthusiasm about the challenge ahead, saying: “I am deeply honoured to be chosen to lead this great business as CEO, and am excited at the opportunities ahead.”
For Guisard, the step up represents the culmination of her time in the commercial division, where she developed an understanding of Aristocrat’s revenue operations and strategic positioning.
The transition places one of the gaming industry’s major publicly listed companies under new leadership at a time when both land-based and digital gaming markets remain intensely competitive.
Regulatory sign-off will be required before Guisard’s appointment is fully formalised, a standard condition for senior leadership changes across licensed gaming businesses of Aristocrat’s scale.
