Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker to retire in April; Dafne Guisard named successor
Global slot giant Aristocrat Leisure announced Thursday that longtime CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker will retire in April 2027 after nearly 10 years in the role and 18 with the company overall. He is to be succeeded by Dafne Guisard, who currently serves as chief commercial officer of Aristocrat’s EMEA division and leads the company’s Product Madness social gaming business.
Croker will stay on through November 2027 to help with the transition, while Guisard will relocate from London to Las Vegas for the role. According to contract details released by the supplier, she will receive a fixed salary of US$1,050,000 with short- and long-term bonus incentives.
Guisard, a Brazilian-born US citizen who also speaks Spanish, French and Portuguese, previously served as COO of Entain before joining Aristocrat in February of this year. She spent more than a decade in the food and beverage industry with Kraft Heinz and Anheuser-Busch before transitioning to gaming.
“Trevor’s contribution to the company and its stakeholders has been outstanding, with the company’s market cap growing fourfold to almost A$40 billion and an EPSA CAGR of 15% delivered over his tenure as CEO,” Aristocrat Chairman Neil Chatfield said in a statement. “Under Trevor’s leadership, Aristocrat has achieved strong operational performance and profit growth, underpinned by a refreshed strategy and step-change in organisational capability.”
Croker said that the company is positioned with “exciting optionality for the future”, which makes it “the ideal time to begin the process of the CEO transition”. The last decade saw “significant change and opportunity”, he said, and Guisard is “an outstanding executive who will bring highly relevant and complementary perspectives to the CEO role”.
Aristocrat shares were down about 1.5% in trading Thursday to A$65, but the stock has surged 25% over the last six months.
Big expectations for Aristocrat, Guisard
As the transition unfolds, Guisard will have big shoes to fill at one the premier names in gaming. Originally founded in 1953 by slot pioneer Len Ainsworth, Aristocrat has grown from its Sydney roots to become a global powerhouse, especially in North America. In February, the company won its eighth consecutive Best Overall Supplier award at the Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Slot Awards in Las Vegas — no other supplier has won EKG’s top award since its founding.
According to EKG slot performance data from August, Aristocrat is easily the top-grossing supplier in North America, holding nearly a third (32%) of total units and a staggering 42% of the total theoretical win in the region, almost double the next-closest competitor (Light & Wonder, 23%). Its hit titles like Buffalo, Dragon Link, Lightning Link and others have dominated performance charts and casino floors for several years.
The supplier is a top-25 company on the Australian Securities Exchange as of writing with a market capitalisation of A$39 billion.
“I am deeply honoured to be chosen to lead this great business as CEO, and am excited at the opportunities ahead,” Guisard said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Trevor, the Board and my executive team colleagues to ensure a smooth transition, and accelerate our momentum over coming years.”
Strong profit growth in FY26
The CEO transition was announced alongside Aristocrat’s full-year results for fiscal year 2026, which showed group revenue of A$6 billion, a 3% year-over-year decline in reported currency but a 4% gain in constant currency. Profit after tax was A$1.36 billion, up 15% in reported currency and 24% in constant currency.
Aristocrat Gaming revenue rose 1.5% to A$4 billion with profit increasing 2% to A$2.2 billion. Social gaming revenue from Product Madness was US$1 billion, up 2%, with profit of US$521 million (+7%). Aristocrat Interactive saw modest growth in revenue (US$457 million), but its profit of US$122 million represented a 6% decline YoY.
“Our strong earnings performance reflected revenue growth (in constant currency) across our portfolio, and a continued focus on efficiency and operating leverage across the enterprise,” Croker said in a statement. “At the same time, we maintained a balanced approach to capital allocation, returning capital to shareholders while investing strategically to strengthen our long-term growth and resilience. Overall, this result once again highlights our ability to deliver sustainable shareholder returns.”
Croker added that the company enters FY27 “with considerable momentum” and remains “committed to a disciplined capital management framework that balances strategic investment with meaningful shareholder returns”.