Ziggy Switkowski named Crown chairman

Crown Resorts has appointed former Telstra head Ziggy Switkowski as its next chairman, replacing the outgoing Helen Coonan.

Coonan announced her decision to step down in July, following criticism from Adrian Finanzio, counsel assisting the Victorian royal commission into Crown, who suggested she could not be the “credible face of change” the operator needed.

The Victorian royal commission and a separate royal commission in Western Australia are looking at Crown’s suitability to hold the licences for its Melbourne and Perth casinos.

Switkowski has previously served as CEO of both Telstra and Optus, and is currently a director of the NBN Co. The RMIT University chancellor and nuclear scientist has experience in the gambling industry, having previously served as a director at Tabcorp.

“Ziggy’s experience and capabilities are well suited to meeting the challenges currently confronting Crown,” said Crown’s board members Ms Halton, Toni Korsanos and Nigel Morrison in a statement. “We are determined to restore the trust of regulators, investors, employees, customers and the wider community.”