Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker to retire in April 2027

Aristocrat Leisure announced on 11 November that chief executive and managing director Trevor Croker intends to retire in April 2027. Aristocrat made the announcement in a company release issued on 11 November, at the same time as its full-year results for the year to 30 September 2026.

What happened

Early in 2026, Guisard joined the executive team at Aristocrat, holding the role of chief commercial officer for EMEA; she has since been handed oversight of the Product Madness social casino business as well. Her earlier career included a spell as Kraft Heinz's chief strategy, transformation and digital officer, plus senior positions at AB InBev.

Guisard is due to move from London to Las Vegas to take up the post. Croker will remain with the company and support her for twelve months from the announcement. iGaming Business reported that her fixed salary will be US$1,050,000, with both short-term and long-term incentives on top.

Chairman Neil Chatfield said the board considers Guisard "the ideal choice to succeed Trevor". He credited Croker with growing the company's market capitalisation fourfold to almost $40 billion over his tenure as CEO.

The results announced alongside the appointment included the following:

• Aristocrat Gaming's installed base rose by about 6,500 units, with market share reaching 39%.
• Product Madness social casino market share increased to 24%, and direct-to-consumer accounted for 27% of its revenue.
• Aristocrat Interactive's profit margin fell to 27%. Aristocrat attributed this to its exit from the White Label business as well as acquisition-related investments.

The company expects NPATA growth for the twelve months to 30 September 2027, measured at constant currency. It also cited an FY29 target of US$1 billion in revenue for Aristocrat Interactive.

Why it matters

Suppliers, operators and affiliates that work with Aristocrat's online and social products could check whether any strategy or partnership discussions are tied to current leadership. Croker's support period runs for twelve months from the announcement.

Guisard's remit has recently covered both EMEA commercial activity and Product Madness, so she could be close to two of the three reporting segments. Content partners of Aristocrat Interactive, which cited launches with major operators and a Lightning Link brand release, are likely to watch whether the FY29 revenue target and the online content push stay unchanged.

The move also continues a run of senior moves across the supplier and social casino space. Light & Wonder named a new head of SciPlay and Bragg appointed an interim CEO, according to SBC Americas.

What's next

Aristocrat has set the record date for its final dividend at 26 November and the payment date at 8 December 2026.