Executive changes at MGM Mirage

By Liz Benston

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 | 12:22 p.m.

MGM Mirage says it cultivates its top executives by promoting them into jobs they want a simple enough task that has become more complicated as the company grows.

Today, another game of musical chairs is revealed and another milestone achieved.

MGM Grand Detroit President George Boyer, who wanted to return to Las Vegas, has been named senior executive in MGM Mirage Development, a company subsidiary. Boyer had committed to running the temporary Detroit casino through its reopening as an $800 million luxury resort in October.

Boyer's old job goes to Lorenzo Creighton, who jumped ship from the Flamingo in 2005 to serve as president of New York-New York, becoming the first black person to lead a Strip property.

Creighton sought the job at the Detroit property, the first casino resort located in a major metropolitan city outside of Las Vegas.

Creighton's move, in turn, opened the door for Cynthia Kiser Murphey, senior vice president of human resources, who ran human resources at the Mirage when it opened in 1989. She joined the MGM Grand team when that property opened in 1992. She was tiring of her human resources career at MGM Mirage and considered leaving the company when MGM Mirage bosses offered her Creighton's job heading New York-New York.

"We didn't want to lose her," MGM Mirage Chief Executive Terry Lanni said.

Kiser Murphey becomes the second woman to head a Strip property after Excalibur President Renee West, who formerly ran the Primm casinos and has a human resources background.

Finally, Bill Hornbuckle, president of Mandalay Bay, adds to his tasks by also becoming president and chief operating officer of the company's planned MGM Grand Atlantic City development.

"We are really fortunate to have that depth of management to draw from at MGM Mirage," Lanni said.

When the company acquired Mandalay Resort Group in 2005, the company had

several top posts to fill and was able to fill all of them internally with the exception of Creighton, who sought to leave Caesars Entertainment a few months before the company was swallowed by Harrah's Entertainment.