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Big changes for Bally
Slot and systems producer Bally Technologies has announced a raft of changes which will affect its European operations – find out more…
Most significant of Bally's recent announcements is the news that the company is opening a new European headquarters in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The new HQ will be for Bally's sales and service operations. The company also announced a realignment and expansion of its European sales and service organization to meet the needs of its expanding presence in the European gaming market.
The new Amsterdam headquarters will house the company’s main European logistics, warehousing, financial, sales, production/assembly, and customer-service operations.
“Our new Amsterdam European headquarters will allow us to be more flexible, responsive, and proactive than ever before in serving our existing customers in western Europe and growing our customer base throughout the continent,” said John Connelly, Bally’s Vice President of International and Gaming Operations. “Our senior European sales management team, along with our outstanding technical support and gaming service personnel, will be even better equipped to provide our current and future customers with the kind of superior, best-in-class support they expect from Bally, a world leader in gaming products and systems technology.”
Bally will also open a new sales and service office in Ljubljana, Slovenia to support an expanding presence in eastern Europe. Bally will continue to maintain satellite sales and service operations centers in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
In addition, in response to its rapidly expanding Systems business throughout Europe, Bally will also relocate its Systems Research and Development and service operations to much larger facilities in Nice, France.
“Our new offices in Ljubljana will allow us to better serve such existing Bally Systems customers as the HIT Group, as well as provide the resources we need to further expand our market penetration into central and eastern Europe,” explained Connelly. “This is in addition to our existing sales and service centers located in Spain, England, and Germany.”
Marcel Heutmekers has been named the new Director of Europe for Bally, and he will be based in the new offices. Heutmekers will be responsible for managing all of Bally’s activities within Europe and in North Africa.
“I am extremely pleased to be joining Bally Technologies during this impressive period of growth for the company, especially in Europe,” Heutmekers said. “The company’s outstanding product line, its dedicated sales and service staff, and its unwavering commitment to its customers are just a few of the reasons why Bally is doing so well, even in the midst of these uncertain economic times. I am truly excited to be a part of this dynamic and forward-thinking organization.”
Prior to joining Bally, Heutmekers was responsible for slot operations and product placement at all 14 of Holland Casinos’ gaming properties throughout The Netherlands. This amounted to approximately 7,000 slot machines, with annual revenue of approximately €400 million. In Heutmekers’ other capacity, he was responsible for business development for all of Atronic’s international markets. Prior to joining Atronic, Heutmekers worked for Avalon Casino Development, a company involved in the opening of casinos in Hungary, Turkish Cypress, and Greece.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Marcel Heutmekers to Bally,” said John Connelly, Vice President of International and Gaming Operations for Bally Technologies. “His extensive background in gaming, working for both a major gaming operator and a gaming supplier, gives him a unique and invaluable perspective on our industry.”
The picture is completed by the appointment of Jurate Bitinaite as Regional Sales Manager for Eastern Europe.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Jurate to our growing international sales team,” said Marcel Heutmekers. “Her background and experience in the Baltic States and Eastern European countries will help us to continue our aggressive expansion into these key gaming markets.”
A native of Lithuania, Bitinaite was recently corporate marketing executive and a member of the board of directors of Grand Casino World, a luxury entertainment and gaming complex in Lithuania.
Jurate earned a Master of Law degree from Vilnius University in Lithuania and a Master of Science in European Business from the EDHEC Business School in France.
