The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is ushering in a new era.
The lottery announced long-time BCLC employee, Pat Davis, is the Crown corporation’s newest chief executive officer (and president).
Davis formerly served as the company’s chief information officer and vice president of business technology.
With BCLC’s recent recognition with multiple work awards, in a statement, board chair Greg Moore said Davis had to fit that mould.
“Pat brings a wealth of knowledge in both the technology and gambling industries.
We are confident his experience combined with his dedication to integrity, player health and serving the best interests of our players and our province will further propel the advancement of BCLC as a social purpose company that operates with the highest standards.”
BC Lottery hired internally for new president
While the lottery conducted a “competitive candidate search and review,” ultimately, BCLC went with who it knew best – Davis.
Consider the newest chief executive has nearly 20 years of experience in the gambling industry. Almost 15 of those are with BCLC.
Davis’ timeline with the company:
- Director, Program Management Office (2008 – 2014)
- Director Enterprise Architecture (2014 – 2016)
- Vice President, Business Technology & CIO (2016 – 2022)
- President & CEO (August 2022 – XXXX)
Most recently, Davis helped lead the refresh of BCLC’s technology platforms. One of those, PlayNow, is BC’s regulated lottery, provincial online casino and sports betting site. Despite his already prominent role in the organization, Davis – via LinkedIn – seemed delighted by the promotion.
“I am humbled and privileged to have the opportunity to take on this role and continue to work with the amazing people at BCLC.”
Kamloops-native deepens ties to BC community
Consider the certified project professional grew up in Kamloops, BC, — home of BCLC’s headquarters.
He is also on Thompson Rivers University’s advisory committee – located in Kamloops – for the software engineering program. He also sits on the board for Kamloops Innovation.
On a larger scale, he is a member of the Chief Information Officer Council of British Columbia.
All that seemingly worked in his favour.
Moore has been on the record saying a candidate with hometown ties – similar to BCLC’s former president Jim Lightbody – was preferred.
“Much like Jim Lightbody who was very involved in the community of Kamloops with the Blazers and sort of the business organizations, we are going to expect the same thing out of the new CEO that comes in.”
BC lottery seeks stability following interim presidents
Davis’s appointment will hopefully bring some stability to BCLC’s leadership ranks if nothing else.
Lately, the Crown corporation has depended on temporary fixes.
That domino effect started when Lightbody –BCLC’ss President from 2014 – 2021 – went on medical leave. A 2019 cancer diagnosis served as the prequel to his stepping down in Dec. 2021.
Initially, BCLC named Moore interim president. But just two years later – on Jan. 22, 2021 – Lynda Cavanaugh took over, again temporarily.
With Davis picked as the permanent solution, surely the government agency will be eager to build some cohesion under his guidance.
Alongside Davis, BCLC appointed Dan Beebe and Sandra Austin as chief operating and chief people officers, respectively.
