Petra de Ruiter appointed CEO of Holland Casino

In her current position as chief operating officer at Transavia, de Ruiter is responsible for business operations together with the CEO and CFO of the aviation group. She has also worked in various roles at Air France-KLM since 1998.

She will begin her new role at Holland Casino in September this year, subject to necessary background checks, and will join chief financial officer Ruud Bergervoet and chief operating officer Malinda Miener in its management team.

She replaces Erwin van Lambaart in the role, who stepped down in April to become CEO of Casinos Austria, a job he discussed in the ICE365 Live studio at ICE London last month.

“Hospitality is in the DNA of all employees at Holland Casino, a crucial and differentiating value, which is also vital in my current job,” de Ruiter commented. “Whether online or offline, every guest simply wants to feel seen, heard and valued. Holland Casino is a cordial, responsible and leading entertainment company with 3,500 employees who want the best for all guests every day.

“I look forward to personally getting to know many new colleagues from the venues and from the online casino business - after all, they are the face of our company,” she added. “I am grateful to Transavia and all colleagues for the past years. At the same time, I am also very much looking forward to this new role and this great challenge.”

When the Netherlands launched the regulated online gambling market last year, state-owned Holland Casino was among the first 10 licensees.

Willem Bröcker, chairman of the supervisory board described de Ruiter’s expertise and knowledge of developing a high level of experience for guests and operational excellence as making her “an excellent match” for Holland Casino.

“With our 14 locations and now an online [offering], we work in a highly regulated sector and operate in a complex stakeholder field. Proven expertise is of great importance.”

In April, Holland Casino reported an 8.7% year-on-year decline in revenue to €304.2m for 2021, as the launch of online gaming was not enough to offset the continued impact of the venue closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.