Dafne Guisard, a former Chief Operating Officer of Entain, will become Aristocrat CEO in April 2027, succeeding Trevor Croker, Aristocrat Leisure said in an ASX announcement on 11 November 2026.
Croker, CEO and Managing Director, plans to retire in April 2027. The appointment of Guisard as CEO-elect is subject to any regulatory pre-approvals needed, according to the Aristocrat CEO transition announcement.
The next Aristocrat CEO
Guisard joined Aristocrat in February 2026 as Chief Commercial Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and also took responsibility for the Product Madness social casino business.
Before that she was Chief Operating Officer at Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, from January 2025 to February 2026. She spent 3 years at Kraft Heinz as Chief Strategy, Transformation and Digital Officer, and 9 years at Anheuser-Busch InBev in commercial and finance roles, according to the company.
I am deeply honoured to be chosen to lead this great business as CEO, and am excited at the opportunities ahead.
Dafne Guisard, CEO-elect, Aristocrat Leisure, in a statement
Neil Chatfield, Chair of Aristocrat, said the Board considers Guisard “the ideal choice to succeed Trevor”.
Croker’s exit and the handover
Croker has spent more than a decade as CEO and 18 years in senior leadership roles at Aristocrat. The company said its market capitalisation grew fourfold during his time as CEO, with earnings per share before amortisation rising at a compound annual rate of 15%.
He will stay with Aristocrat for 12 months from the announcement to support the transition. Guisard will move from London to Las Vegas. Her fixed pay as CEO will be US$1.05m a year, with a 12-month notice period on the company’s side and a 12-month non-compete, according to the terms filed with the announcement.
Croker sold AU$7.5m of Aristocrat shares in July, after the company reported an 8.4% profit rise for the first half.
Next steps
Guisard is set to take over as Aristocrat CEO in April 2027, once regulatory pre-approvals are in place. Croker will remain with the company until November 2027 under the 12-month support arrangement.
Source: Aristocrat Leisure
