When Aristocrat’s CEO of Gaming Hector Fernandez’s daughter Sophia came home from a camp this summer, she was upset. When asked why, she told Fernandez that the number of Fortune 500 CEOs named John outnumbered all women in similar positions.
“She told me, ‘Dad, I’m going to change that,’” Fernandez said during the Global Gaming Expo education session “Breaking the Glass Ceiling Cannot Be Done Alone: Celebrating Our Male Allies” at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.”
“The fact is that we do have different opportunities,” Fernandez said. “More CEOs named John than female CEOs in the Fortune 500 is a lesson that, we as males, take for granted. But it’s a tremendous opportunity to be male allies, to say, ‘How do we make sure that we change that narrative, not just for us, but for our kids, our grandchildren, all of you, the people who work for us?’”
Potawatomi Hotels & Casinos CFO Dominic Ortiz noted that growing up in a tribal community around his grandmother and aunt taught him a valuable lesson: Not only to treat all women with respect, but also to listen to them.
“These women sit in powerful positions and they tell us who we can be and what we should aspire to. They give us confidence and nurturing and really show us where we need to go and how strong we need to be,” Ortiz said. “And a lot of that has come up as we have grown up. In the tribal world, the female leader at the table is a given for us.”
But outside of tribal communities, there are less women in position of power and influence. When they’re present, such as Light & Wonder Executive Vice President Siobhan Lane, they can influence decision making throughout their companies.
Light & Wonder President and CEO Matt Wilson said Lane was “a humble woman in the industry doing fantastic work” and that her presence, notably during the COVID crisis, proved invaluable when he assumed his role.
“Having a female leader of Siobhan’s caliber at the leadership table brings a completely different dynamic to the group,” Wilson said. “Partly, it’s her maternal instincts. She has a lot of empathy.”
Moderator Melissa Aarskaug, Gaming Laboratories International Vice President Gaming, mentioned that Global Gaming Women has received a lot of support from companies, including Fernandez’s Aristocrat, both financially and in terms of providing opportunities for members.
For Fernandez, it’s both the right thing to do and a personal mission.
“One of the things I think about every single meeting, every single situation I’m in, I’m fighting for the seat at the table for Sophia in the future,” Fernandez said. “I’m fighting for her to have that opportunity to be there, because she’s earned it, and not to have to fight any extra harder than what a male has to do.”
Rege Behe is lead contributor to CDC Gaming. He can be reached at rbehe@cdcgaming.com. Please follow @RegeBehe_exPTR on Twitter.
