Melco Crown shakes up senior management after COO exit

Casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) has shaken up its senior management ranks following the resignation of its chief operating officer.

On Tuesday, MCE announced that COO Ted Chan had resigned “for personal reasons” after nearly five years in the role. The company said it doesn’t intend to appoint a replacement for Chan, using his departure as an opportunity to “transform its leadership structure in a manner designed to streamline operations.”

Sanford C. Bernstein analysts reported that MCE’s senior VP of gaming operations and strategy Alidad Tash had also resigned. The pair’s exit follows September’s skedaddle of JD Clayton, former president of MCE’s newest Macau property Studio City. Clayton’s role was filled by former Sands China exec David Sisk.

MCE CEO Lawrence Ho says he’s personally taking on day-to-day operational leadership. The shakeup coincides with MCE’s active evaluation of its operations “to optimize financial performance with a focus on improving its marketing initiatives and creating a more efficient reporting structure.” Ho has previously pinned much of the blame for Studio City’s disappointing results on MCE’s marketing team.