Caesars Entertainment Corp. appointed its second female board member Thursday, naming corporate branding executive Juliana Chugg as one of the casino company’s 12 directors.
The move – which is subject to regulatory approval – comes during a year when the presence of women – or lack thereof – in the C-suites and board rooms of gaming companies has been heavily scrutinized.
In October, Caesars appointed former Estée Lauder executive Denise Clark to its board. Chugg currently serves as a member of the VF Corporation board and she served as chief brand officer of Mattel Inc. for three years.
“Juliana has extensive senior executive experience and has successfully managed all aspects of multi-billion-dollar businesses, including operations, strategy, product innovation, marketing, e-commerce, branding and licensing,” Caesars Chairman Jim Hunt said in a statement. “Juliana’s global general management and brand stewardship perspectives bring a welcome addition to the Caesars boardroom.”
With Mattel, Chugg was responsible for $6 billion of revenue while leading several of the company’s iconic brand franchises.
In addition to her role with Mattel, Chugg previously served as a senior vice president with General Mills, Inc. and as a divisional president with the company for four years. She also held a progression of leadership roles with General Mills and Pillsbury since 1996.
“I look forward to partnering with the board and management team to help Caesars achieve its rightful business leadership position among the most recognized brands in the world,” Chugg said in a statement.
The move comes as the gaming industry has focused on moving more women into leadership positions within the industry. A study produced in 2017 found that out of 21 casino and gaming companies headquartered in Las Vegas, none had a female CEO, chairwoman or president. At only three corporations did women hold one-third or more executive board seats.
Caesars’ contemporaries in the gaming industry all have female board members. MGM Resorts International has four women on its 12-person board – including former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman and long-time Las Vegas-area renewal energy advocate Rose McKinney-James.
Las Vegas Sands’ 11-person board has one female.
Meanwhile, the board of Wynn Resorts changed its make-up dramatically after the departure of Steve Wynn, who stepped down as chairman and CEO in February following multiple sexual harassment allegations.
Wynn Resorts added three women to its board in April: former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers, three-time CEO Betsy Atkins, and Kestrel Advisors CEO Winifred “Wendy” Webb. They joined board member Pat Mulroy, immediately making Wynn among the top 40 S&P 500 companies when measured by female board representation.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
