Michael Leven is stepping down at the end of the year as president and COO of Las Vegas Sands. At press time, there had been no announcement of a successor, but whoever is named will be measured against a very successful executive. Leven, who had been on the board of LVS, was asked to take over as COO when the company was floundering. The once-valuable stock had slumped to less than per share, and the company had run out of money to fund its Asian expansion. Leven stepped in and engineered a financial turnaround that is remarkable. The stock price in November was around , the final Macau casino will open next year (the Parisian), the Las Vegas convention properties are more successful than ever, and strong revenue is still reported in Singapore. Leven will remain on the board of LVS and other corporations and charities, and will often be mentioned as one of the strongest gaming executives in recent years. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros in his offices at the Venetian in Las Vegas in early November.
