Cooke starts his stint as CEO of 2022 with the fourth Star.

18 November 2022

Cooke starts his stint as CEO of 2022 with the fourth Star.

The announcement that Flutter board Cooke would be joining the ailing operator as their new lead was made in July, but it wasn't until October that The Star confirmed her arrival on October 17th.

Several regulatory approvals were previously outstanding, but they have now been formally ratified.

With this appointment, Cooke becomes the fourth CEO of The Star in 2022. The previous three were John O'Neill, Geoff Hogg, and Matt Bekier, who quit while The Star was investigating New South Wales.

Hogg was appointed chief executive officer following O'Neill's resignation just before he was scheduled to testify in the review.

Chairman Ben Heap gave the go-ahead for Cooke to be appointed.

Year of The Star's turmoil
There have been several enquiries and troubling conclusions throughout the Star's eventful year. The Star's Sydney casino was found to be unfit to hold a licence in New South Wales after an inquiry. As a result, last month the operator was hit with a AU$100 million fine and an indefinite suspension of their licence.

The operator has recently been the target of a securities class action lawsuit in Victoria and found unsuitable to hold a licence in Queensland.

Anne Ward was also named a non-executive director today (18 November) by The Star. Her term will begin today.

Appointment of Ward was suggested on August 15th, but the required approvals have only recently been received.