CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, MACAU RESORTS
Melco Resorts and Entertainment
PROPERTY PRESIDENT
City of Dreams, Macau
POWER SCORE: 611
POSITION LAST YEAR: 38
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Oversees Melco’s entire Macau portfolio
- Joined Melco as Studio City Property President in 2016
HAVING joined Melco Resorts in 2016, David Sisk earned the trust of Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho after he was appointed Property President of City of Dreams Macau in early 2018 – turning around the fortunes of an IR that had been seriously under-performing.
Yet his greatest challenge awaits, with Melco riding a run of 10 consecutive quarters of significant losses thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing customer base due to China’s anti-gambling crackdown.
Once visitation eventually returns to the SAR, Melco’s focus will be on premium mass – a segment that promises to be highly lucrative but also brings with it some risk given the mainland’s determination to limit capital outflow.
Nevertheless, Sisk made it clear during last year’s topping off ceremony for Studio City Phase 2 that new gaming space contained within the expansion project – due for completion in mid-2023 – would target premium mass.
Likewise, Melco’s original Macau property, Altira, has already been converted to premium mass with all VIP operations removed last year.
A greater challenge for Sisk may well be satisfying the government’s growing appetite for non-gaming attractions under its re-tender for gaming concessions. Melco previously laid claim to one of the most successful non-gaming attractions anywhere in the city in resident show “The House of Dancing Water”, but the lack of general Macau visitation saw the show shut down in 2020 and many of its performers let go. The question Sisk must be answering now is when will market conditions justify its return?
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