Niaz Nejad

Niaz Nejad is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of leadership experience in the IT, retail, banking, gambling, and cannabis sectors. She has a proven track record of driving double-digit growth through strategic leadership, innovation, marketing, business planning, team building and meeting customer needs. Niaz has proven highly adept at steering organizations through complex periods of change and restructuring, with a superb understanding of what it takes to turn around and grow underperforming business units. She is equally effective in building high-caliber teams from the ground up and re-energizing established teams to achieve new levels of performance excellence.

Niaz joined Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) in September 2011 and was quickly promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer where she was accountable for Gaming, Cannabis, Information Technology, and the Enterprise Project Management Office. She led a team of over 500 people, with responsibilities for the analysis of business requirements and opportunities and established AGLC’s provincial gaming and cannabis strategic direction, corporate portfolio, digital transformation, and revenue forecasts. For the gaming business, she was accountable for sustaining over $1.4 billion in annual net revenues from slot machines, video lottery terminals, electronic bingo and lottery tickets through policy and gaming product development, marketing and ultimately her proven strategic direction and leadership. For cannabis, she was responsible for the creation and implementation of the vision for the business operations related to the wholesale and distribution of cannabis in Alberta, as well as establishing online e-commerce cannabis sales. Significant effort was put into creating, implementing, conducting, and managing the cannabis business in time for Canadian legalization on October 17, 2018.

Currently, Niaz is the Managing Director, Americas for Light & Wonder’s land-based gaming division. In this role she is responsible for driving commercial execution and has full P&L responsibility for the largest region within L&W’s expansive portfolio. Before joining L&W, Niaz was the Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing for Aristocrat Gaming, U.S. and Canada. During her tenure there she led overall brand and marketing strategy, execution, and business performance, responsible for infusing innovation and creativity throughout.

Niaz holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Alberta. She has also completed a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University; is a certified Project Management Professional; a graduate of the Executive Development Program- Strategic Leadership in the Gaming Industry from the University of Nevada, Reno; and has completed the Directors Education Program at the Institute of Corporate Directors, obtaining her ICD.D designation. Niaz is also a key member of the Canadian Gaming Association Board of Directors, and previously served on both the Western Canada Lottery Corporations Board of Directors and the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation.