Aristocrat Leisure Limited announced that Hector Fernandez, previously CEO of Aristocrat Gaming, has resigned and accepted a role with a competitor. Craig Toner (formerly Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Operations, Aristocrat Gaming) has been appointed to replace Mr. Fernandez, effective immediately and subject to the receipt of necessary regulatory pre-approvals. Mr. Toner comes to the CEO Aristocrat Gaming role after more than seven years with Aristocrat in both Australia and the US.

He was promoted through a number of business finance and operations leadership roles in Sydney, before being appointed Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Operations for Aristocrat Gaming and relocating to Las Vegas three years ago. Before joining Aristocrat, Mr. Toner spent almost 20 years in senior commercial, strategy and operational roles at Lion Ltd. Craig is a CPA, with a Bachelor of Management Studies, Accounting and Finance. Hector Fernandez joined Aristocrat as Chief Financial Officer of the Americas Gaming business unit in 2018, before being appointed CEO of Aristocrat Gaming in 2022.

Mr. Fernandez's relevant contractual obligations include a 12 month non-compete obligation.