MGM Resorts executive shuffle sees Ayesha Molino and Gary Fritz get big promotions

MGM Resorts International is having a bit of an executive shuffle. Two new hires have been slotted into the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and President of MGM Digital, as well as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) roles. Ayesha Molino will be taking on the COO role from January 1, 2026, while the new CCO, Gary Fritz, will begin immediately.

MGM Resorts’ current COO, Corey Sanders, plans to retire at the end of the year after working with the company for 30 years. He’s been in the COO role since June 2010, and originally started at the company as a tax director after a career as a tax specialist at an accounting firm. He had become the CFO of MGM Grand after three years.

Ayesha Molino’s COO credentials

Ayesha Molino’s career has been a little more on the political side. Between 2005 and 2017, Molino was involved in government departments during the Bush, Obama, and the first Trump administrations.

Her earliest work in government was as an attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel for International Commerce. She eventually worked alongside now-dead US Senator Harry Reid until 2017.

Since then, she has been with MGM Resorts International in a trio of roles. From 2017 to 2021, she used her background for her role as Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, moving to Public Affairs, and now will be taking over the COO role of MGM Resorts after some time as President and COO of ARIA and Vdara resorts.

Bill Hornbuckle, President and CEO of MGM Resorts, said this about the upcoming change of guard for the COO role:

“Ayesha is an exceptionally gifted strategic thinker and operator who excels at managing through complexity, earning her the respect of her colleagues and peers throughout the company.

“In fact, under Ayesha’s leadership, ARIA has posted all-time records in EBITDAR, annual revenue, hotel and casino revenue, ADR and Gold+ NPS scores, to name just a few.

“Ayesha’s ability to unite teams, drive results, and navigate challenges makes her the perfect leader to succeed Corey as COO. I am confident she will continue to help shape our future growth and success.”

Gary Fritz takes MGM CCO role

Fritz, the current CCO and President of MGM Digital, has a storied career, working at Rakuten, TripAdvisor, Expedia, and McKinsey & Company. He was also the Head of Gaming for IAC.

On Fritz, Hornbuckle said:

“Gary has been instrumental in establishing and advancing our digital strategy through acquisitions, strategic partnerships and organic expansion of our BetMGM brand into new international markets like Brazil.

“He is a visionary leader with keen insights and instincts, and his new role will bring together all of Digital plus Gaming, Marketing and Advertising as we look to accelerate our omni-channel strategy and unlock significant growth in digital and iGaming.”

Featured image: MGM Resorts

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