Asian casino operator Silver Heritage Group Limited has announced that it has hired Ben Watiwat to serve as its next Chief Financial Officer following the decision from predecessor Basil Jong to stand down ‘by mutual agreement with the board’ after a little over a year in the role.

Global track record:

According to an official Friday filing (pdf) from the Sydney-listed firm, Watiwat previously served as Company Secretary and Head of Finance for Australian venture-backed software innovator SafetyCulture where he was responsible for all global legal, finance, facilities and compliance responsibilities.

Before this, the operator behind Nepal’s Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa stated that Watiwat had ‘held senior positions’ with Vocus Group Limited including as the telecommunications firm’s Head of Group Finance where he handled tax, treasury, mergers and acquisitions, external reporting and capital management duties.

Predecessor to help with transition:

Hong Kong-headquartered Silver Heritage Group Limited explained that Watiwat is a chartered accountant by trade after starting his career with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and will take up his new role from November 5 although Jong is to serve in an advisory capacity for at least the next three months in order ‘to ensure an effective handover’.

Trio of gambling venues:

Established in 2003, Silver Heritage Group Limited opened its Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa in January and is additionally responsible for The Millionaire’s Club and Casino inside Kathmandu’s Shangri La Hotel and Resort alongside the Phoenix International Club near Hanoi.

Broad range of ‘experience and skills’:

James Spenceley, Non-Executive Chairman for Silver Heritage Group Limited, declared that he had worked with Watiwat ‘for a number of years’ while at Vocus Group Limited and was now ‘delighted’ that the experienced professional had ‘accepted this role’.

Spenceley’s statement read…

“Ben has significant experience and skills in capital management, compliance, risk, tax and reporting. Ben will be a significant asset for the business going forward.”

‘Enormous potential’ apparent:

For his part, Watiwat proclaimed that his new employer ‘has built an impressive portfolio of gaming assets across Vietnam and Nepal’ and he is now ‘looking forward’ to helping it to take advantage of its ‘enormous potential’ while capitalizing ‘on the platform they have created’.