Great Canadian Entertainment announced the appointment of a new chief financial officer on Tuesday. Pauline Alimchandani now takes over the executive role effective March 31 with current CFO Darren Gwozd stepping down from the position.
“I am delighted to welcome Pauline to our exceptional senior management team,” Great Canadian CEO Matthew Anfinson said. “Her extensive public company experience and deep record of successful leadership roles in finance, capital markets and financial reporting, will be immensely valuable as we continue to remain focused on delivering long-term growth and creating value for our stakeholders in a socially responsible way. I look forward to her contributions.”.
Founded in 1982, Great Canadian is Canada’s leading gaming and hospitality company, with 25 properties across the country in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The company boasts more than one million square feet of gaming space, 19,000 slot machines, 650 live table games, and 60 restaurants. Great Canadian opened Canada’s newest and largest casino resort, Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, in 2023.
Alimchandani now takes over the financial leadership after previously serving in other similar roles with other firms. Most recently she served as CFO of Northland Power, where she oversaw a large global team across several key functions and chaired the organization’s investment committee.
She brings 18 years of professional experience, previously serving as executive vice president and CFO of Dream Unlimited Corp. and vice president of equity research at BMO Capital Markets. In 2020, Alimchandani was named as one of “Canada’s 50 Best Executives” in the Globe and Mail’s “Report on Business.” In 2022, she was awarded “Canada’s Clean 50,” one of Canada’s top sustainability awards.
“I am very excited to join Great Canadian and see significant opportunity to build upon the company’s strong financial and operational foundation, while developing capabilities that further establish the company’s competitive advantage,” Alimchandani said.
Anfinson thanked outgoing CFO Gwozd for his service to the company at a time when Great Canadian went through some major changes and saw some key projects, such as the opening of the Toronto casino.
“Darren has been a valuable member of our finance team for more than six years and has helped lead our organization through a transformational period,” he said. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, the senior management team, and Great Canadian’s team members, we want to thank Darren for his many years of leadership.”
