trend: „Casinos Austria would also result in a Board“

Casag-General Alexander Labak speaks in the Interview about his upcoming retirement and sees the role of the state as a co-owner of critical

Vienna (OTS) – The Director General of Casinos Austria AG (Casag), Alexander Labak, draws in an Interview with the economic magazine trend balance sheet over his nearly two-year activity in the part state-owned gambling group. He will not extend his end of the year expiring contract. According to the trend information, the Supervisory Board meeting on 19 in the Casag -. March decided to but a more rapid exchange: a New corporate boss to Bettina Glatz-Kremsner. To Labak says: „If the Supervisory Board would like to establish a new Team earlier, then it’s okay.“

He emphasized that he was going voluntarily: „It was never my goal to ersitzen me a lucrative pension contract. In contrast to all my previous activities, the Casag no possibility of participation for managers, which is why for me in the long term, the entrepreneurial component is missing. I’ve always said that I’ll only stay for a period.“

The public pressure in the direction of its release, he explained:
„Of course it is not easy, when trying to discredit someone with false allegations through the media. This is a game about the gang, the don’t like me. This culture is in need of improvement. In the company and in Austria in General. If you modernize a company, there is a lot to tackle. The Casag is not necessarily a Bastion of change. I am in 50 years, only the third Director-General; the Chairman of the Supervisory Board serves since the age of 22. We have here an environment in which the Central works Council of the CASAG tried to untimely power, to defend claims, and in which the owners are not always in agreement. But I see it as a positive experience.“

Furthermore, says Labak against the trend, you have shifted responsibility for the company by the Board of Directors in the operating units:
„This provides the Supervisory Board in the forthcoming renewal is also the possibility to reduce the number of members of the management Board. It is the, in my view, would be an Option and would also reduce costs. The company would not be possible with one or two boards well, even if the see the partner maybe so.“

Labak locates „in the state of the middle area of currently, a Repoliticization that I see is critical“ and evaluated the role of the Republic as a co-owner of the Casag „quite ambivalent“. Specifically: „The state is ultimately its own business profit determined by the government tax policy. He controlled himself, as the Supervisory authority, ultimately, themselves. And he forgives, as licensor, to yourself licenses. This is a difficult situation, because it brings the state to the other owners in an extraordinary position of power. You should think about in a quiet Minute once emotionless about it , whether this Setup, which is historically grown, is a long-term goal of a leader.“

The withdrawal of the state as a shareholder of the Casinos Labak thinks is „an opportunity to address these target conflicts. But this Option is, I think, currently, the industry being considered politically.“

Trend-editorial team: 01/217 55-0