Melco Crown Entertainment Announces New Appointmen

MACAU, Jan. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melco Crown Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq: MPEL ) (“ Melco Crown Entertainment ”, ” MCE ”, the “ Company ” or “ we ”), a developer, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia, today announced several key appointments to its new leadership structure.

Subsequent to the Company’s announcement in November last year, Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company resumed direct supervision of day-to-day operations and actively reassessed the management structure.

Lawrence Ho said, “I’d like to thank the management team and all our colleagues for fully supporting the recent changes at the Company. These changes are part of the process to make MCE stronger and more efficient, and to better position the Company to fully exploit future growth opportunities. In December, Melco International Development Limited announced the acquisition of an additional USD 1.2 billion of Melco Crown Entertainment’s stock.  Upon the completion of this acquisition, Melco will assume a majority ownership of over 51% in MCE.  I cannot think of a more compelling evidence of my positive outlook on Macau’s long-term prospects and my faith in the strength and quality of our Company and its management. This should also further emphasize MCE remains my highest priority.”

Melco Crown Entertainment is pleased to announce the following appointments:

• Mr. Frederic Winckler - Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Mr. Winckler has been appointed to the newly created role of Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, reporting directly to Mr. Ho.  Mr. Winckler will also serve as a member of the executive committee of MCE. In his new role, he will be responsible for the marketing and branding of all the Company’s consumer brands. Mr. Winckler joins the Company having most recently served as Global Chief Marketing Officer for Louis Vuitton based in Paris. He was awarded the Luxury Marketer of the Year in 2014. Prior to Louis Vuitton, Mr. Winckler served as Chief Executive Officer of J. Walter Thompson Paris, having been with that organization for 22 years to lead its efforts in various countries for key luxury brand clients including BMW and Rolex.

Mr. Ho commented, “I am very excited to have Frederic joining the MCE team. His international and luxury brand experience will certainly provide invaluable insights as we develop an enhanced strategy to leverage MCE’s luxury and entertainment propositions.”

• Mr. Gabriel Hunterton - Property President of City of Dreams, Macau   Mr. Hunterton is a seasoned gaming industry executive. His extensive and diverse gaming career in Las Vegas and Macau has spanned over 18 years. He is exceptionally knowledgeable of the Macau market and has a solid track record of producing remarkable results in Macau’s highly competitive market.
• Mr. Andy Choy - Property President of Altira Macau and Mocha Clubs  Mr. Choy has over 10 years of direct involvement in a broad set of gaming industry disciplines. He has worked with the entire spectrum of properties from stand-alone local casinos to major Las Vegas Strip properties to international five-star integrated resorts. Prior to this new role, Mr. Choy served as the Chief Gaming Officer for Melco International, the single largest shareholder of MCE, with responsibility for the Melco Group’s growth through development opportunities in the gaming sector. He has been recently listed as one of the “25 People to Watch 2017 in the Gaming Industry” by Global Gaming Business.

Going forward, each of Melco Crown Entertainment’s Property Presidents will be member of the Company’s executive committee and report directly to Mr. Ho. This structure will enhance the participation and strategy alignment of the entire organization. The reorganized structure is designed to be more efficient to enable faster decision-making and provide clear accountabilities. 

• Mr. Jarlath Lynch - Senior Vice President, Hotels and Food & Beverage  Mr. Lynch has been appointed to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Hotels and Food & Beverage, reporting directly to Mr. Ho. Mr. Lynch will also serve as a member of the executive committee of MCE. This position was created to emphasize the growing importance of MCE’s non-gaming propositions and MCE’s pursuit of excellence in both its hotel and F&B offering. MCE currently enjoys numerous Forbes Five-Star hotel rankings and offers the most Michelin-starred dining establishments among all casino operators in all of Macau and Greater China.  Mr. Lynch has been a part of the Melco Crown Entertainment team having previously served as SVP, Hotels and Food & Beverage at MCE’s City of Dreams, Manila subsidiary. Prior to joining MCE, he was the founder and owner of luxury boutique villas in Indonesia. He has also served as regional Vice President for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and held various positions with Hyatt International.   

Lawrence Ho concluded, “2017 will be another exciting year for myself, Macau and MCE. I look forward to working with many seasoned international talents in my management team. With the continuous support and dedication from all of our colleagues, Melco Crown Entertainment will continue to be innovative in offering the best-in-class hospitality and entertainment experiences to our existing and new customers.”

Melco Crown Entertainment – Innovating excitement for a new age.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” ), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, (i) growth of the gaming market and visitation in Macau and the Philippines, (ii) capital and credit market volatility, (iii) local and global economic conditions, (iv) our anticipated growth strategies, (v) gaming authority and other governmental approvals and regulations, and (vi) our future business development, results of operations and financial condition. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “target”, “aim”, “estimate”, “intend”, “plan”, “believe”, “potential”, “continue”, “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

About Melco Crown Entertainment Limited Melco Crown Entertainment, with its American depositary shares listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ: MPEL ), is a developer, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia. Melco Crown Entertainment currently operates Altira Macau ( www.altiramacau.com ), a casino hotel located at Taipa, Macau and City of Dreams ( www.cityofdreamsmacau.com ), an integrated urban casino resort located in Cotai, Macau. Melco Crown Entertainment’s business also includes the Mocha Clubs ( www.mochaclubs.com ), which comprise the largest non-casino based operations of electronic gaming machines in Macau. The Company also majority owns and operates Studio City ( www.studiocity-macau.com ), a cinematically-themed integrated entertainment, retail and gaming resort in Cotai, Macau. In the Philippines, Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation’s subsidiary, MCE Leisure (Philippines) Corporation, currently operates and manages City of Dreams Manila ( www.cityofdreams.com.ph ), a casino, hotel, retail and entertainment integrated resort in the Entertainment City complex in Manila. For more information about Melco Crown Entertainment, please visit www.melco-crown.com .

Melco Crown Entertainment is strongly supported by its single largest shareholder, Melco International Development Limited, a company listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and is substantially owned and led by Mr. Lawrence Ho, who is the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Crown Entertainment.

For investment community, please contact: Ross Dunwoody Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: +853 8868 7575 or +852 2598 3689 Email: rossdunwoody@melco-crown.com

Fo r media enquiries, please contact: Maggie Ma Chief Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer Tel: +853 8868 3767 or +852 3151 3767 Email: maggiema@melco-crown.com