Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
Sunday, March 22, 2020 | 5:01 p.m.
MGM Resorts International named longtime executive Bill Hornbuckle as its acting chief executive officer, the company announced today.
Hornbuckle replaces former board chairman and CEO Jim Murren, a 22-year veteran of the company who announced his pending departure in February and will chair the state’s COVID-19 Response, Relief & Recovery Task Force.
In addition, Paul Salem will replace Murren as chairman of the company’s board of directors. The changes went into effect on Sunday, the company said.
“We have an incredible challenge ahead,” Hornbuckle said in a statement. “We have a talented leadership team, the best employees in the world, and a loyal customer base. I have every confident that MGM Resorts will remain the global entertainment leader once this crisis is contained and it is safe to operate.”
Salem, senior managing director emeritus at a private equity firm called Providence Equity Partners, was already a member of the board.
“The nation is facing an unprecedented crisis, causing the travel and hospitality industry to grind to a near halt,” Salem said in a statement. “It is clear that once the threat to the public health has subsided and we are ready to reopen our resorts and casinos, it will take an incredible effort to ramp back up. We believe steady, skilled leadership is needed at this time of great upheaval and uncertainty.”
Hornbuckle, a four-decade gaming industry veteran and a UNLV graduate, previously worked as president and chief operating officer at both Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand. He also served as president of Caesars Palace for a time.
In Las Vegas, all gaming operations are closed for at least 30 days as part of an order given by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on March 17.