MGM Resorts International has announced several leadership position changes at its Las Vegas and New Jersey casinos. Some will take effect immediately, others in 2024.
MGM’s Chief Operations Officer Corey Sanders said Ayesha Molino will assume a new role as president and COO of ARIA and Vdara on the Las Vegas Strip, effective immediately. She also will continue to oversee government affairs, communications, and public relations as chief of public affairs and will continue to serve on the company’s executive committee.
Molino joined the company in January 2017 and most recently served as senior vice president of public affairs. Prior to joining MGM, she served as chief counsel to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and oversaw gaming policy, among other matters. Molino helps to fill a role held by Anton Nikodemus, who served as president and COO of ARIA and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“Anton was with us for 18 years and demonstrated a commitment to quality and excellence that has left a meaningful imprint,” Sanders said.
Sean Lanni will become president & COO of the Cosmopolitan, effective April 1, and will continue in his role as president of international marketing. Lanni has been with the company since 2007, serving in a variety of roles in financial analysis, development, and marketing.
Chuck Bowling has announced his retirement as president and COO of Mandalay Bay and Luxor, effective June 1. Bowling has been with the company for more than 25 years and “is an exemplary leader,” Sanders said. “We are incredibly grateful for his dedication to his employees, his property, and this company, and are extremely pleased that he will remain with the company as a consultant on matters relating to development, group meetings, and special projects.”
In his place, Travis Lunn will return to Las Vegas and become president and COO of Mandalay Bay and Luxor, effective June 1. Lunn has been with the company since 2013 and “has been a tremendous asset” in his current role as president and COO of the Borgata, and in his previous roles as president and COO of Beau Rivage and Gold Strike and general manager and senior vice president of operations at the MGM Grand.
Nik Rytterstrom will become president and COO of Borgata, effective May 1. Rytterstrom began his career at MGM in 1999 as an assistant hotel manager at Bellagio and later served as front-office and hotel manager at the Mirage. He also has significant regional experience, first as vice president of hotel operations at Beau Rivage and later as the general manager of Gold Strike. He then served as president and COO of Luxor, president and COO of the Mirage and Excalibur, and most recently as general manager of the Cosmopolitan.
Rick Limardo will be promoted to senior vice president of government affairs effective immediately. In this capacity, he will oversee federal, state, and local government affairs and continue to support BetMGM’s market-access expansion efforts. Limardo joined the company in 2018 from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked on the Ways and Means Committee. He has more than 16 additional years of experience on Capitol Hill and in private industry.
