BETTING ALL IN: MULLIN LEADS ECHO'S $625M PUNT

BETTING ALL IN: MULLIN LEADS ECHO'S $625M PUNT

FEW Australian CEOs would have leaped out of a moving car to escape gun-toting carjackers.

Not many would have played as running back in a college football team alongside players who later became NFL stars.

And how many link the success of their business to the roll of a dice? Meet Larry Mullin, the American-born boss of Brisbane-based casino giant Echo Entertainment.

The 50-year-old was lured to Australia from the United States east-coast casino hub of Atlantic City to head the entity that demerged from Tabcorp last year.

Echo Entertainment is now Queensland’s fifth-largest listed company, with a market capitalisation of $3.1 billion and revenues of nearly $1.8 billion. It employs more than 7000 staff.

Mullin is a laid-back sports-loving family man who has easily transitioned to an Australian lifestyle.

He grew up on the hard streets of Philadelphia, where life experiences had at a young age more than prepared him for anything he would encounter in the world of casinos.

He had the speed and strength to be a football star, but the economic reality of life meant he had to get a job as soon as he left college.

He started his working life at a funeral home and mortuary then took a gamble on a career in the casino industry, starting at the bottom as a hotel porter.

The young Mullin looked and learned. And his rise through the ranks of the gaming industry rivals any match-clinching football play.

Mullin has successfully managed some of the most lucrative gaming properties in the US and has become a personal friend to a string of superstars and celebrities, including Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Lopez.

He’s a high-achiever with a highly focussed business mind – the perfect combination to steer a billion-dollar makeover of a company that owns four of the most lucrative gaming properties in Australia.

A business plan that aims to change the perception of our casinos will deliver a total entertainment experience for locals and visitors. Read the entire cover story by getting your copy of Brisbane Business News - out now at a newsagent near you.

Get our daily business news

Sign up to our free email news updates.

 
Whitefox Recruitment founder Luke Hemmings making strides as a careers leader
Partner Content
After relocating his Canberra-founded company Whitefox Recruitment to the Gold Coast la...
Whitefox Recruitment
Advertisement

Related Stories

ASIC secures its first court win for greenwashing against US giant Vanguard

ASIC secures its first court win for greenwashing against US giant Vanguard

The Australian corporate watchdog has caught out one of the world&r...

Medicinal cannabis group Althea shaves $1.5m from its cost base through staff cutbacks

Medicinal cannabis group Althea shaves $1.5m from its cost base through staff cutbacks

Australian-founded medicinal cannabis company Althea Group (ASX: AG...

Charter Hall snares 15pc stake in Hotel Property Investments for $97m from 360 Capital

Charter Hall snares 15pc stake in Hotel Property Investments for $97m from 360 Capital

Listed funds manager 360 Capital Group (ASX: TGP) has offloaded its...

Lendlease gains approval for $1.7b transformation of Queen Victoria Market precinct

Lendlease gains approval for $1.7b transformation of Queen Victoria Market precinct

Australian development giant Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC) has been gr...