BCLC Announces New President & CEO
The main lottery operator for the Canadian province of British Columbia, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), has finally announced a new permanent president and CEO following a long interim period – former chief information officer and vice president for business technology Pat Davis. The operator also took the opportunity to announce a series of other senior hires.
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has finally announced a new permanent president and CEO – former chief information officer and vice president for business technology Pat Davis.
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Davis Replaces Former Interim President Lynda Cavanaugh
The Canadian province of British Columbia’s main gambling operator, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), has finally revealed its new permanent president and CEO, following a long interim period. Former BCLC chief information officer and vice president for business technology Pat Davis will take on the new role on a permanent basis.
As part of his previous positions as the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s chief information officer and vice president for business technology, Davis spearheaded the updating of the company’s technology platforms and facilitated the delivery of its digital strategy.
Before arriving at the BCLC, Davis had stints in leadership in enterprise architecture and program management. He is also currently a member of the Chief Information Officer Council of British Columbia.
Davis’ arrival naturally means that Lynda Cavanaugh – who has been acting as interim president and CEO of the BCLC since January 2022 – is out. Cavanaugh herself replaced Greg Moore, who took on the very same interim president and CEO role in September 2019, when news of long-time CEO Jim Lightbody going on medical leave broke. Lightbody subsequently stepped down for good in December 2021.
BCLC Also Announces New Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer
The former British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) interim president and current board member Greg Moore highlighted new president and CEO Pat Davis’ deep knowledge:
“Pat brings a wealth of knowledge in both the technology and gambling industries.”– Greg Moore, Board Member, British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Press Release
Moore went onto express confidence in Davis’ experience and commitment to play integrity and well-being as huge incoming benefits to the lottery corporation’s operations:
“We are confident his experience combined with his dedication to integrity, player health and serving the best interests of our players and our province will further propel the advancement of BCLC as a social purpose company that operates with the highest standards.”
At the same time as it announced Pat Davis’ new role as permanent president and CEO, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) also revealed some additional senior-level executive hires.
Dan Beebe and Sandra Austin will take on the roles of chief operating officer and chief people officer respectively, likewise on a permanent basis. Both employees have been working these positions on an interim basis for several months now but will now take on the roles on a full-time basis.
BCLC Expanded into Saskatchewan in June 2022
In other recent British Columbia Lottery Corporation news, the gambling operator announced just recently in June 2022 that it would be broadening the reach of its PlayNow.com online gambling platform by entering into the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
A deal which the BCLC struck between PlayNow.com and both the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and SaskGaming is the reason behind the online gaming platform’s expansion into another province.
The BCLC’s PlayNow.com platform will now be able to offer players located in the province with access to over 400 casino, live casino, poker, and sports betting products. In 2021, the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) launched a request for proposal process, thereby paving the way for its partnership PlayNow.com and SaskGaming.
BCLC interim chief at the time, Lynda Cavanaugh, stressed the importance of the platform’s player-health specialists – always at the ready to help players and strive towards making sure safer gambling measures are being respected:
“In addition to an innovative suite of online casino and sports-betting products, BCLC’s PlayNow.com is the only gambling website in North America and one of few in the world that offers dedicated player-health specialists – known as GameSense Advisors – via live chat. This is just one way that BCLC supports safer play online.”– Lynda Cavanaugh, Former Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Press Release
Former BCLC CEO Jim Lightbody Stepped Down in January 2022
As previously mentioned, the BCLC’s long-running chief executive Jim Lightbody stepped down from the organization in December 2021, after embarking on a two-year period of medical leave. The move forced the company to launch a global recruitment effort in order to find a full-time replacement.
Lightbody first joined the corporation all the way back in 2001, initially starting off as vice president of lottery gaming and vice president of casino and community gaming, before ascending to the role of president and CEO in 2014.
Greg Moore, who served as interim president and CEO before Lynda Cavanaugh took over in January 2021, celebrated Lightbody’s tenure and sent him well wishes for his recovery:
“Known for his strong leadership that focuses on people and an entrepreneurship approach to business, Jim has made countless contributions to BCLC – and its employees – through the course of his career with the organization. On behalf of the board of directors and everyone at BCLC, we wish him the very best as he continues his road to recovery.”
