The call for judges for the 2025 Awards is currently open. There were precisely 100 judges on the 2024 panel. If you fit the eligibility criteria listed below, and want to be a judge for the IAG Academy IR Awards in 2025, please get in touch directly with Andrew W Scott at ceo@asgam.com. To understand what is involved in the awards process, visit the Awards Process page.

Things to note about being a judge:

  • Judges do not need to attend the Awards (or even be in Manila) at Newport World Resorts in Manila on Tuesday 9 September 2025.
  • Judging is very easy: all information is sent and all voting is conducted entirely online.
  • Judges can commit as little or as much time as they wish to the judging process.
  • Judges only need vote in categories they feel comfortable with expressing an opinion on.
  • Judges will be automatically recused from categories involving themselves or their employer.
  • Judges can recuse themselves from as many categories as they wish (up to and including all categories).
  • Special discounted hotel room rates at a wide range of Newport World Resorts hotels will be available.
  • All judges can attend the Gala Dinner at Newport World Resorts in Manila on Tuesday 9 September 2025 completely free of charge! (value US$250)

JUDGING PANEL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Any person who fulfils the following criteria will be eligible to join the judging panel for the IAG Academy IR Awards:

  1. Judges must have a minimum of 10 years IR industry experience:
    1. At an integrated resort (IR) or legal land-based gaming operator in a gaming or non-gaming function, or
    2. At a manufacturer, vendor or supplier selling goods or services to IRs or legal land-based gaming operators in Asia (either directly or further back in the supply chain), with those sales representing a significant part of their or their employer’s business, or
    3. As an accountant, academic, analyst, banker, consultant, financier, government official, investor, lawyer, politician, regulator, researcher, trainer or other professional with a significant part of their or their employer’s work or business relating to the IR or legal land-based gaming industry, or
    4. At a non-IR hospitality or other business with functions typically found in integrated resorts such as a hotel, F&B outlet, retail outlet or other front of house service, or HR, IT, facilities or other back of house service, but with a minimum of two years direct IR industry experience.
  2. At least 5 years’ experience must be in the Asia-Pacific region (from the middle east to the International Date Line inclusive).
  3. If no longer employed in the industry, and the judge or potential judge has been out of the industry for five years or more, they must self-declare that they take a continuing and active interest in the APAC IR industry.

In the event of any dispute on the eligibility of judges, the decision of the Chairman of the Judging Panel is final.

2025 JUDGES

Andrew W Scott

(Judging Panel Chairman)

Vice Chairman and CEO

Inside Asian Gaming

Sérgio de Almeida Correia

ACS Lawyers and Private Notary

Sandy Amida

Chief Gaming Officer

Newport World Resorts

Dennis Andreaci

Senior Vice President Casino

Hann Resorts

David Baxley

Regional Vice President – Entertainment

Sands China Ltd / Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd

Ben Blaschke

Managing Editor

Inside Asian Gaming

Harmen Brenninkmeijer

Managing Partner

NYCE International​ Ltd

Daryl Bruce

Director, Product Management

EGMs (Asia)

Daniel C. Cecilio

Senior Vice President

PAGCOR

Pedro Michael M. Cendana IV

Branch Manager

PAGCOR

Tony Chan

Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director

Asia Pioneer Entertainment (HK:8400)

Greg Chase

Experience Management Thought Leader

Qualtrics/Former Corp. VP @ MGM Resorts International

Nelson Cheung

Systems Sales Manager – Asia

IGT

Charles M. Choy

Co-Chairman

Macau Beer Company Limited

Carlo R. Climaco

Vice President – Integrated Resorts

Belle Corporation

Carlos Eduardo Coelho

Partner

MdME

David Croft

SVP Gaming Optimisation & Strategy

Tangam Systems

Rui José Da Cunha

Lawyer/SJM Resorts Secretary–General

C&C Lawyers/SJM Resorts SA

Rui Pedro Cunha

Director and General Manager

C&C Lawyers

Robert Dijkstra

Manager of Business Development for Asia Pacific

AMATIC Industries

Scott Fisher

Managing Partner

Convergence Strategy Group

Ashley Fong

Senior Product Planning & Strategy Manager – Asia

Aristocrat

Maulin Gandhi

President

Tangam Systems

David Green

Gaming and Governance Consultant

Fredric E. Gushin

President and CEO

Spectrum Gaming Group

Antonio Benigno V. Gutierrez

Branch Manager

PAGCOR

Maria Victoria M. Gutierrez

Assistant Vice President, Slot Machine Department

PAGCOR

Ryan Hong-Wai Ho

Lecturer and MBA Programme Coordinator

Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies, Macao Polytechnic University

Michael Hu

President – Asia Pacific

Interblock Asia Pacific

Florence Ian

President

International Tourism Professionals Development Association

Brett Ingram

Assistant Vice President – Event Development & Management

Sands China Ltd.

Katrina Mae de Jesus

AVP – Resort Marketing and Business Development

NUSTAR Resort and Casino

Michael G. Johansen

President – RW@Sea

Resorts World Cruises

Ken Jolly

VP Strategic Development – Asia

Light & Wonder

Keijiro Kan

President

Angel Global Business Co.,Ltd.

Herris W. Kocibelli

Founder & Managing Director

HWK Trading Co. Ltd.

Joji Kokuryo

Managing Director

Bay City Ventures Ltd

Michael Krispli

Vice President – EGM Operations

NUSTAR Resort and Casino

Matthew Lai

Business Development & Operations Advisor

Aruze Gaming Global

Buddy Lam

Director of Corporate Affairs

Galaxy Entertainment Group

Desmond Lam

College Master and Professor

University of Macau

Kevin Lee

Director of Sales, Asia

Sega Sammy Creation

Mike Lei

Secretary General

Macao Association of Young Employee in the Gaming Industry

Marcus Lim

Founder

Vault Corporation

Raymond Lo

Senior Vice President, Head of Global Marketing and General Manager

Altira Macau and Mocha Clubs

Richard Longhurst

Senior Director

Galaxy Entertainment Group

John Lucas

Chief Hospitality Officer

Newport World Resorts

Shigeki Machida

Managing Director

Matsui Asia Ltd

Atty. Walter L. Mactal

Senior Vice President and Chief Legal & Administrative Officer

Newport World Resorts

Jeff Mann

Managing Director

MegaSportsWorld

Shaun McCamley

Founder, Managing Partner

Euro Pacific Asia Consulting Ltd.

Greg Meares

Vice President, Engineering and Facilities

MGM China

Scott Messinger

Chief of Staff

Inside Asian Gaming

Niall Murray

Chairman

Murray International (Macau) Co. Ltd.

Ma. Vina Claudette Oca

Assistant Vice President

PAGCOR

Joe Pisano

Founder and CEO

Jade Sportsbet

Lloyd Robson

Vice President of Sales & Operations, Asia

Aristocrat Gaming

Trevor Ross

Senior Sales Director – Asia

Light and Wonder

Helena Santos

Graça Saraiva

Lawyer

Sands China Ltd., MGS Consultancy Ltd.

Charles Seo

Senior Director of Commercial Strategy – Asia

IGT

Chen Si

President

INSIPIRE Entertainment Resort

Paul Simmons

CEO

Kairos Gaming

Dave Smith

Director

ASIUL Trading Co Ltd

Ángel Sueiro

COO

PH Resorts

Danny Tang

Vice President and General Manager of Sands Macao

Sands China Ltd.

Kel Telford

Chief Information Officer – Head of Information Technology

Okada Manila

Alan Teo Aung Peng

CEO

Hoiana Resort & Golf

Francis Valenzuela IV

Account Manager – Philippines

IGT

Rutger Verschuren

Area Vice President – Macau Operations

Artyzen Hospitality Group

Antonio Lobo Vilela

Lawyer

Lobo Vilela Advogado • Lawyer

Samuel Wilson

CEO

TKHS Holdings

Ian Wood

Business Development and Senior Sales Manager

Dallmeier International (Macau) Ltd.

Betty Zhao

Senior Vice President of International Operations

Aruze Gaming Global