The board of directors of Caesars Entertainment has appointed its first female member, former Estée Lauder executive Denise Clark.
Clark takes her seat as the board’s 11th director at a time when the gaming industry faces increasing scrutiny over its dearth of women in top-level positions. A 2017 study found that out of 21 gaming companies headquartered in Las Vegas, none had a female CEO, chairwoman or president. At only three corporations did women hold one-third or more executive board seats.
There are notable exceptions: MGM Resorts International has four women on its 12-member board, including former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. Wynn Resorts now has four as well after appointing three women earlier this year in a dramatic reshuffling of its board following the departure of founder Steve Wynn, who resigned as chairman and CEO after he was accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment involving female employees.
Clark, who retired from Estée Lauder after five years as chief information officer for the cosmetics giant, brings to Caesars more than two decades of corporate experience, including similar positions with Hasbro, Mattel and Apple Computer, and 13 years with the U.S. Navy. She also serves on the board of United Natural Foods.
“Denise is a well-respected and experienced corporate leader with a proven track record of success throughout her career across a variety of areas, including technology and global operations, which are important to Caesars as we move forward,” said Chairman Jim Hunt. “She is a natural problem solver and will be a welcome addition to the Caesars boardroom.”
