Wynn Resorts boss to retire at end of ’21

Head of Boston casino to fill post

By Richard N. Velotta
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Courtesy, Marilyn Spiegel will retire as Wynn Las Vegas’ president at the end of 2021.

Marilyn Spiegel, president of Wynn Las Vegas, LLC, owner and operator of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas, where she oversees day-to-day operations, will retire at the end of 2021, the company confirmed last week.

Wynn CEO Matt Maddox said in memos to employees that Brian Gullbrants, president of Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, Massachusetts, would succeed Spiegel, who is leaving the company for the second time.

Former Wynn CEO Steve Wynn hired Spiegel as president for a three-year commitment in 2010. She left in 2013.

Spiegel rejoined Wynn for another three-year commitment in January 2019 after receiving a surprise email from Maddox asking her to return. At the time, Wynn Resorts was recovering from Steve Wynn’s abrupt departure from the company in 2018 after being accused of harassing women employees. Steve Wynn has denied ever harassing anyone.

When Spiegel left Wynn in 2013, she was succeeded by Maurice Wooden. When she returned in 2019, she succeeded Wooden.

Gullbrants joined Wynn Las Vegas in 2008 and will return to Las Vegas in August to ensure a seamless transition through the end of the year when Spiegel retires.

Jenny Holaday will become president of Encore Boston Harbor upon Gullbrants’ departure. Holaday currently is the resort’s executive vice president of operations, joining Encore in 2019.

Before joining Wynn in 2010, Spiegel had an extensive gaming career dating to 1999.

From 1999 to 2004, she served in various executive positions for Harrah’s Entertainment, a predecessor to Caesars Entertainment Inc., including senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Las Vegas and the Rio, senior vice president of human resources, as well as senior vice president and general manager for Harrah’s Shreveport Hotel & Casino in Louisiana and the company’s Southern Nevada properties.

From 2004 to 2010, Spiegel became one of the first women in a top resort executive position as she was named president of Caesars Entertainment’s Bally’s, Paris Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas.

Spiegel is a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s board of directors, serving on its marketing committee and chairing its compensation committee. She was recommended for that board by the Nevada Resort Association.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.