MGM Resorts International announced Friday that Chief Operating Officer Corey Sanders will retire after more than 30 years. Sanders has agreed to remain COO through Dec. 31 and to serve as an advisor to the president and CEO through December 2026.
MGM intends to name a new COO to serve as Sanders’s successor later this month.
“It’s impossible to overstate what Corey has meant to this company over the last 30-plus years,” said President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle. “He has been a constant presence, providing foundational leadership for all the key moments that have defined our history – from our acquisitions of Mirage Group and Mandalay Resort Group to our regional property openings and expansions like Springfield, National Harbor, Empire City, and Borgata. More importantly, Corey helped us put all the different pieces together to create one company and one culture. As a leader and as a person, Corey understood the importance of caring for employees and treating people with respect. He will be deeply missed.”
Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association, also commended Sanders. “Corey Sanders’s leadership has been invaluable to our industry. Through his decades of service at MGM Resorts and as a past chair of the Nevada Resort Association Board of Directors, he has helped strengthen Nevada’s tourism industry and set a high standard for collaboration and excellence.” Sanders was Board chair for two terms, 2012-2016.
As COO, Sanders oversees the company’s Las Vegas and regional properties, as well as multiple corporate departments, including hospitality, gaming, human resources and strategic initiatives. Prior to that, he served as the company’s chief financial officer and treasurer.
In his tenure with MGM Resorts, Sanders has also served as chief operating officer for the company’s Core Brands, executive vice president of operations for MGM MIRAGE, executive vice president and CFO for MGM Grand Resorts, executive vice president and CFO for MGM Grand, and assistant vice president of corporate finance and tax director for MGM Grand.
