PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Wynn Macau
POWER SCORE: 1,011
POSITION LAST YEAR: 17
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Credited with steadying the ship at Wynn Palace
- Entering 15th year with the company
- Defending of the Wynn luxury brand with meticulous attention to detail
STEVE WYNN may have been the high-profile face behind the Wynn brand for many years, but on the ground in Macau it is the leadership of Ian Michael Coughlan that has steered the ship for the best part of 15 years, first as President of Wynn Macau the property, and then as President of Wynn Macau the company, which encompasses Cotai’s Wynn Palace.
Coughlan joined the company in January 2007 and within six months had replaced Grant Bowie as President of peninsula property, Wynn Macau, after Bowie joined MGM China. In 2009 he became an Executive Director and in October 2016 was appointed President of Wynn Macau Ltd, a position he holds to this day.
That promotion was particularly significant. Coming just months after the launch of US$4.2 billion Wynn Palace, it was a clear nod to the fact that Wynn’s new Cotai IR had been underperforming and that Coughlan was seen as the man to turn it all around.
Turn it around he did. The financial impacts of COVID-19 notwithstanding, Wynn Palace has built an unrivalled reputation as the home of ultra-luxury in Macau and one of the leaders in Macau’s premium gaming space, including record performances in 2018 and 2019, just before the pandemic hit.
Coughlan, whose past experience includes stints with The Peninsula Bangkok and The Peninsula Hong Kong, isn’t one to seek his own plaudits yet he is highly regarded at Wynn Macau as defender of the Wynn brand. No doubt his fastidious attention to detail and quest for perfection will come in handy when the company resumes preparations for the Phase 2 expansion of Wynn Palace in 2022.
For the full list of 2021 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
