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Posted: 2021-02-14 21:38:58

Ken Barton has stepped down as CEO and managing director of Crown Resorts following last week's scathing report into the gambling giant.

In a statement, Crown said it was determined to take "significant steps" to improve governance, compliance and culture.

Helen Coonan will lead the company as executive chairman while the board searches for a new CEO.

An investigation commissioned by NSW's Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) last week concluded Crown was unsuitable to operate a licence for its new Sydney casino in its current form.

A report by Commissioner Patricia Bergin found there was likely no future in the company for Mr Barton.

Mr Barton said in a statement he was committed to assisting with a leadership transition.

"I am absolutely certain the business is now on the right path as it works to restore confidence in its operations," he said.

A man and a woman pose
Helen Coonan will replace Ken Barton, right, while Crown searches for a new CEO.(Supplied: Crown Resorts)

Mr Barton has spent more than a decade with Crown, initially as its chief financial officer before being appointed as CEO in January 2020 as the Bergin inquiry began.

During his time at Crown he was also the director of two VIP bank accounts at the centre of money laundering allegations.

Commissioner Bergin found Mr Barton was "no match for what is needed at the helm of a casino licensee".

"His problems will not be cured by the appointment of people expert in the field who report to him", she stated in her final report.

She found Mr Barton should have launched a full investigation into money laundering allegations by the time the inquiry began.

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Crown CEO Ken Barton steps down following damning NSW report

Mr Barton was also accused of misleading shareholders at an annual general meeting in 2019 when he said "general" information was being shared between Crown and James Packer's company Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH) when in reality that information was confidential.

"Mr Barton's conduct at the Annual General Meeting in October 2019 as the CFO of Crown was quite improper," the report stated.

"However his attempts in the witness box on 23 September 2020 to justify his conduct at the Annual General Meeting, were even more inappropriate for the CEO and director of Crown and director of the licensee.

"It demonstrated a serious lack of judgment and insight into the expectation of the highest standards of property, candour and co-operation of a director of a company that holds a casino licence."

Last week three Crown directors, Andrew Demetriou, Michael Johnston and Guy Jalland, also resigned, allowing the company to mount an "ambitious reform program", according to Ms Coonan.

Mr Packer's CPH cut its ties with Crown's board after terminating its consultancy contract with non-executive board member John Poynton.

Ms Coonan last week apologised for the company's "shortcomings" and said the criticism by the regulator was warranted.

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