Erwin van Lambaart will not seek an extension of his term of office after the expiry of his five-year contract, which ends in March 2027
Casinos Austria has now confirmed that Andreas Bierwirth will replace Erwin van Lambaart as CEO of Casinos Austria AG and CEO of Österreichische Lotterien GesmbH.
Van Lambaart, who will be 64 years old at the time, believes that “the changing environment will benefit from a new leadership team that will lead the company into a promising future”.
Based on this decision, the Supervisory Board initiated an international search process led by a renowned personnel consultant. A clear personnel recommendation was made from a wide range of candidates.
The Supervisory Board has appointed Andreas Bierwirth as the next CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management as of March 14, 2027.
With the expiration of Erwin van Lambaart’s board contract in March, the board of directors will consist of only two people in the future: Andreas Bierwirth and Martin Skopek.
For ÖBAG board member Edith Hlawati, Andreas Bierwirth has all the necessary qualities to lead the group of companies through challenging times together with his board colleague Martin Škopek.
Hlawati said: “I am very convinced of this decision. After a year as Chief Transformation Officer, Andreas Bierwirth is very well aware of the challenges facing the Group. In previous management positions, he successfully led established companies through the transformation into competitive market environments. He is therefore ideally qualified for the role of CEO of the Casinos Austria Group.”
Allwyn CEO Robert Chvatal commented: “We would like to thank Erwin van Lambaart very much for his extraordinary commitment. Under his leadership, Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries have developed very positively and are well positioned for the upcoming concession award. I am looking forward to working with Andreas Bierwirth, an experienced manager who I know will drive the next decisive steps of the Group with a strong entrepreneurial orientation. At Allwyn, we share the same belief in and passion for responsible gaming as well as a clear commitment to Austria.”
Chairman of the Supervisory Board Robert Zadrazil thanked van Lambaart “for the excellent performance of Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries during his tenure, as well as for everything he has done to strengthen the reputation and position of both companies in a rapidly changing environment. The company is exceptionally well positioned to meet future challenges, has a solid financial foundation and has significantly advanced its digital transformation.”
“As CEO, Erwin van Lambaart has had a decisive influence on the casino and lottery business in Austria and prepared the Group very well for the upcoming regulatory changes and the opening of the online market. We are grateful to him for his commitment,” added Hlawati.
Incoming CEO Andreas Bierwirth said: “I would like to thank the Supervisory Board, on behalf of our Chairman Robert Zadrazil, as well as our key shareholders Allwyn and ÖBAG for their trust.
“Leading our group comes with a huge responsibility. For our customers, for whom we want to make our game as responsible as possible. Here, the responsibility radiates far beyond the player to the family environment. Also for the state, as the country’s second-largest taxpayer. For sport, culture and society, of which we are one of the biggest financial supporters. Because if you are not lucky at our games, you indirectly give away your luck to others by participating in the game, for “the good cause”.
“In addition to this fundamental responsibility, which will continue to accompany me for the next few years, it is also a special one for the concrete situation in the coming year. The re-awarding of the lottery and casino concessions is pending, which will form the basis for our business in the future. We want to and will show that there is no better partner for this special business than our group of companies.
“We celebrate 40 years of lotteries this year with 60 years of casinos in the coming year: that alone is a statement. But we will also convince with our future concepts. And at the same time, the liberalisation of the online market is on the agenda. Under challenging conditions. And here, too, we will embrace competition and do everything we can to convince players with our quality. The transition from a monopoly market to a liberalised market is always a very special management task for the former monopolist.”
“What makes me very confident for the next few years are my experiences as a board member in the first year. So I look at colleagues in our company who are fully committed to entertainment with responsibility every day. To sales partners who put their heart and soul into our products.
“I am looking forward to the numerous discussions in the coming weeks, on the basis of which I will be able to further sharpen our agenda from next year onwards, together with my colleague on the Board of Managemen,t Martin Skopek. Until then, I look forward to working with Erwin Van Lambaart in our Management Board team. We will use the remaining period together to ensure a good handover.”