Brisbane-based Robbie Cooke appointed CEO of trouble Star Entertainment Group

Queensland has become the focus of the Star Entertainment Group with a new Brisbane-based CEO, a new casino and the looming Olympic Games.

The Star Entertainment Group has appointed Brisbane-based Robbie Cooke as its new chief executive as the gambling group plans to open the first stage of Brisbane’s $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf development next year.

The appointment of Mr Cooke, which should come into effect by the end of 2022, will see The Star focus increasingly on South East Queensland.

Queen’s Wharf is scheduled to open in the middle of 2023, Star’s Gold Coast masterplan is well under way and the 2032 Olympic Games are expected to produce a decade of growth.

A former managing director and CEO of Tatt’s Group, Mr Cooke said he was happy to have the opportunity to re-join the gaming and hospitality industry where he has spent the majority of his career.

“There are challenges for The Star that have been well documented. They will be my priority and focus,” he said.

“Major development projects are also under way or in planning across The Star, and in South East Queensland they represent transformational opportunities for the company and the state.

“It’s all the more exciting with the Olympics on their way in 2032.”

New Star Entertainment CEO Robbie Cooke

Mr Cooke’s appointment will mean Geoff Hogg, who was made acting chief executive after the resignation of Max Bekier and chairman John O’Neill during the royal commission-style review into The Star’s fitness to hold a NSW casino licence, will return to his role as chief casino officer in Brisbane.

Mr Cooke is a former Brisbane Grammar School student and graduated from the University of Queensland majoring in commerce and law.

He started his career at UNiTAB in Brisbane in 1999 where he was head of strategy and legal counsel, working closely with chief executive Dick MciIlwain, until the company merged with Tattersalls Holdings in 2005.

Mr Cooke then joined Brisbane-based accommodation booking company Wotif.com and later took the reins from founder and chief executive Graeme Wood guiding to its ASX debut before returning to Tatts Group as managing director and CEO in 2013.

He led Tatts through several change initiatives, including a complex organisational renewal program and restructuring of the business through to the completion of the merger with Tabcorp.

Mr Cooke was appointed CEO and managing director at Sydney-based Tyro Payments, a bank and payments fintech providing merchant credit and EFTPOS services, in 2018 and which he successfully led to IPO while still living in Brisbane.

The Star interim chairman Ben Heap said Mr Cooke was “well placed” to “restore confidence” in the group.

“The board concluded that Robbie was the standout candidate with the ideal combination of experience, capabilities and attributes to lead The Star,” he said.

“Robbie is a trusted, respected and highly experienced chief executive.

“He has been the CEO of major ASX 200 listed companies and brings extensive commercial experience in operating and driving transformation programs within highly regulated environments, overseeing large workforces and building executive teams in multi-jurisdictional locations.”