CLAIMS TO FAME
- Key adviser to Melco Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho
- Former investment banker who joined Melco in 2016
Lured to Melco Resorts & Entertainment from his former life with global investment bank Moelis & Company in 2016, Evan Winkler has enjoyed quite the ride, from the healthy progression of the pre-COVID era to the challenges of the pandemic days and now the long road to recovery.
In that regard, 2024 has been an important year, with the company’s senior executive team wielding the axe in February when they let go of long-time COO of Macau operations David Sisk and brought in a raft of fresh blood. Those new faces included Timothy Kelly to head up flagship property City of Dreams Macau and Alidad Tash to boost gaming, with Melco having lost ground to its rivals in the premium gaming space in recent years.
Macau remains a slow burn for Melco, although revenues are at least heading in the right direction, and the company turned a profit earlier in the year for the first time since 2019.
Winkler, whose top-down view also takes in Melco’s operations in Manila and Cyprus, is no doubt hoping for a smoother ride sometime in the near future, with City of Dreams Manila facing a more subdued local market than this time last year and City of Dreams Mediterranean’s ramp impacted by regional conflict involving its two main source markets.
On a positive note, Macau’s Studio City is showing promise following the opening of Phase 2 last year, while a new casino project in Sri Lanka will help further diversify Melco’s opportunities.
For the full list of 2024 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
