Bill Hornbuckle has been handed down a promotion, becoming the president of MGM Resorts International of Las Vegas. He was given the position, which was only recently created, along with chief marketing officer. He will report to only CEO Jim Murren, and will be taking on a number of new responsibilities including gaming development, as well as other marketing related materials. He had been the chief marketing officer for the company since 2010, when he received a promotion to the position. Prior to that, he had been the chief operating officer of Mandalay Bay from April 2005 through his commitment to MGM. He had previously been the chief operating officer of the MGM Mirage, which was located in Europe, from July 2001 through April 2008. Following the promotion of Bill Hornbuckle, the company released a statement from their CEO, Jim Murren, regarding the promotion of one of their most trusted assets.
“Bill Hornbuckle is widely regarded as one of the most strategic and effective leaders in the hospitality and entertainment industry,” Murren said in a statement. “Since assuming the newly-created role of CMO for the company in 2010, he has been focused on growing the company’s relationships with our customers and guests. He has achieved this with significant success.” He also went on to say that one of the greatest achievements that Bill Hornbuckle had been able to secure during his time with the company, was the growth of the customer loyalty program, which has been extremely profitable for the company.
Along with the expanded duties that Bill Hornbuckle will be undertaking, Murren also announced expanded duties for Corey Sanders, who is currently the chief operating officer of the company. Bobby Baldwin will also be seeing a number of expanded responsibilities within the company, as well as Dan D’Arrigo, who is currently the chief financial officer. Sanders will have increased oversight of the company’s operating functions. These functions include retail, corporate advertising, and sales on the floor.
Baldwin will be taking over the leadership role at CityCenter for the Aria hotel and Mandarin Hotel.
This expansion in responsibility for a number of the highest executives within the company, shows that the profits of the company have reported have created additional tasks, and that they feel that their current executives are best equipped to handle these tasks in a way that makes sense for the company. As a number of executives within the company have received promotions, it is clear that the company believes that they have the right leadership team in place, and that they will be recognized as one of the best teams within the industry.
“I am proud to have such strong finance, development, marketing and operational leaders as we continue to grow the company as a leader in the hospitality and entertainment industry,” Murren said in his statement.
It will be interesting to see if the company continues on its path toward growth, after having a year that was much better than expected, after the previous years that the company had faced immediately following the financial collapse of 2008. As Las Vegas continues to struggle, some companies are finding their recovery in the form of upgraded leadership, like MGM Resorts.