By Annette Shailer
Well-known industry figure, Ian Thomson, has been appointed general manager of Aruze Gaming Australia, coming onboard just two days before the Australasian Gaming Expo, which finished last Tuesday (Aug 10).
It was a busy first week in the job for Thomson with Aruze’s owner Kazuo Okada flying into Sydney from Japan for the three-day expo.
“There are a number of people at Aruze with whom I had previously worked and certainly my previous time in the gaming industry meant that I was familiar with the jargon that was being thrown around the office,” he said.
“What has impressed me is Mr Okada's unwavering commitment to the Australian Gaming Industry. The purchase of True Blue Gaming last year means that Aruze will, by early 2011, have a number of new, Scott Olive designed, games to roll out for sale.”
GM of Aruze Gaming Australia, Ian Thomson
Thomson said that outgoing Aruze general manager, Cliff Biggs, had left the business in very good shape.
“Having worked with Cliff some years ago this was not a surprise to me,” he said. “Cliff is one of the most astute GMs I have ever met as well as being extremely well-versed in the intricacies of Australasian gaming.”
After leaving his position as CEO of the Manly Sea Eagles, Thomson worked at Aristocrat in various senior management roles across Australia.
Following this Thomson was managing director for two years at Independent Liquor Group (ILG), and then took over the role of general manager for Australasia for eBET Gaming Systems.
Most recently Thomson was CEO of Ecoworkz, a manufacturer of natural disinfectants and detergents for the Agricultural, Equine, Hospitality and Mining industries.