Aristocrat's New CEO Is Dafne Guisard as Interactive Profit Falls

Aristocrat Leisure has chosen Dafne Guisard to replace Trevor Croker. Guisard joined from Entain in February 2026 and was running growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in a new London-based role. Guisard previously served as chief operating officer at Entain and held senior executive positions at Kraft Heinz and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Guisard will move to Las Vegas to carry out the role.

Guisard will take over as CEO in April 2027. The transition is subject to regulatory approvals. Croker will continue to support Guisard until November 2027. Croker has been CEO for more than ten years and spent 18 years in senior management in total. Guisard described the change in leadership as an evolution rather than a reset.

Group revenue for the financial year ended 30 September 2026 was 6,092.4 million Australian dollars. In reported currency, this represents a 3.2 percent decline, while at constant currency it is a 3.8 percent increase. Net profit at constant currency rose 9.9 percent, but statutory net profit fell 16.4 percent to 1.37 billion Australian dollars, reflecting the impact of revenue from the sale of Plarium in the previous year. Shares fell by about 6 percent at the open.

The picture is mixed for the Interactive division. Its profit stayed below the 130.7 million Australian dollars recorded a year earlier. However, Interactive content and iLottery revenue rose 17 percent. As of September 2026, the company holds 8 percent of the online slots market, and this share has doubled. Social casino business Product Madness increased its revenue by 2 percent while the market shrank, and raised its market share to 24 percent. Aristocrat said it maintains its target of 1 billion US dollars in Interactive revenue for FY29.

The board approved a final dividend of 51.0 cents per unfranked share for the six-month period ended 30 September 2026. The total payment is about 302 million Australian dollars. The company said it expects growth in net profit before amortisation of acquired intangibles (NPATA) at constant currency in FY27.