Andrew Pascal
Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Pascal is the Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of PLAYSTUDIOS, which he co-founded in 2011. Prior to starting PLAYSTUDIOS, Mr. Pascal served as Senior Vice President of Product Marketing and Development at Wynn Las Vegas, a luxury casino resort property owned by Wynn Resorts, Ltd., beginning in 2003 during the project’s development phase, before ascending to the roles of President and Chief Operating Officer in 2005. Throughout Mr. Pascal’s tenure, Wynn Las Vegas garnered multiple awards from the world’s leading hospitality guides. In 2008, Mr. Pascal led the development and launch of Wynn Las Vegas’ sister property, Encore Las Vegas. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Pascal served as President and Chief Executive Officer of WagerWorks, Inc., a company he founded as a casino solutions and content supplier for many of the world’s largest gaming and media brands. Following Mr. Pascal’s departure, WagerWorks was acquired by International Game Technology. Mr. Pascal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Joe Horowitz
Director
Joe Horowitz has been the Managing General Partner of Icon Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, since 2003. Mr. Horowitz was also a founder of Icon Ventures in 2003 and has overseen its growth from $100 million in assets under management to $1.1 billion. Joe’s venture capital experience also includes a 10-year tenure at U.S. Venture Partners, where the first deal that he worked on was the seed financing of Sun Microsystems. He was also Chairman and CEO of Geocast Network Systems, a broadband infrastructure company backed by Mayfield, Kleiner Perkins and Institutional Venture Partners. Current Icon Ventures portfolio companies that Joe is on the Board of or actively involved with include Area 1 Security, Global Worldwide, Synack, TuneIn and Volansi. He has also served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association and was previously a board member of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists. Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton Graduate School of Business.
Jason Krikorian
Director
Jason Krikorian, currently PLAYSTUDIOS’ lead independent director, was a General Partner with DCM, an international venture capital firm, from 2010 through 2022. Mr. Krikorian has also served as a member of the boards of directors of Augmedix, Inc. since June 2017 and Matterport, Inc. since June 2014. He also has experience as a board member of other private companies. Before joining DCM, Mr. Krikorian was a co-founder of Sling Media, Inc., a pioneering digital media company and creator of the Slingbox, where he led the establishment of partnerships with global MSOs and mobile operators, as well as the international expansion of the company. Prior to Sling Media, Mr. Krikorian was a Partner at id8 Group where he advised leading global brands on product and business strategy focusing on digital media and mobile device platforms. He also spent time at the Boston Consulting Group, where he advised Fortune 500 clients in the retail, automotive and utilities sectors. Mr. Krikorian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and both a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia.
Judy K. Mencher
Director
Judy K. Mencher is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Race Point Investors, LLC, a consultancy firm that specializes in advising various private equity funds and hedge funds on distressed investments and other matters. Prior to Race Point Investors, LLC, Ms. Mencher served as Principal of DDJ Capital Management, a firm that specializes in high yield and distressed investing, with assets under management during her tenure of $1 billion to $3 billion from 1996 to 2006. Ms. Mencher currently serves as a member of the board of directors of New Millennium Homes, a California homebuilder, since 1997 and Spiral Water Technologies, a New Jersey manufacturer of advanced water filtration systems, since November, 2018. Ms. Mencher holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University and both a Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from Boston University.
James Murren
Director
James Murren has served as Chairman of the Acies board of directors since August 2020. Mr. Murren is also the Chair of the Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force. He was the chair of the Leadership Board of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Howard University since 2016. Mr. Murren first joined MGM Resorts International in 1998 as the Chief Financial Officer and served as the Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International from December 2008 to February 2020. He also served as Chairman of the American Gaming Association from 2014 to 2017, was on the Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution from 2011 to 2018, served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council from December 2013 to 2020, and served as a director of Delta Petroleum Corporation from February 2008 to November 2011. Mr. Murren co-founded the Nevada Cancer Institute, which was the official cancer institute for the state of Nevada until 2013, and served as a director from 2002 to 2012. Mr. Murren is also a founding contributor to Nevada’s first Fisher House, which provides housing for military and Veterans’ families, which was founded in February 2016. He also served as a member of the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies. Mr. Murren received his Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College. He is a CFA® charterholder.
Steve Zanella
Director
As President of MGM Resorts Operations, Steve Zanella oversees regional operations, future operations tied to domestic growth, and certain global growth initiatives. Additionally, he leads Sports Partnerships, Citywide Event Strategy, and the ongoing relationship with Marriott International. Mr. Zanella is an accomplished industry veteran who has held several leadership positions at MGM Resorts.
Previously, Mr. Zanella served as Chief Commercial Officer, where he oversaw Sports & Sponsorships, Brand Marketing, Direct Marketing, Group Sales, Revenue Management, Social Media, Loyalty and Commercial Strategy. Prior to that, he held the position of President & COO of CityCenter, where he managed daily operations and provided strategic direction for the ultra-luxury resorts.
A veteran of the hospitality industry with more than 30 years of experience, he joined MGM Resorts in 1991 as a participant in the Management Associate Program, which is a hands-on training curriculum for college graduates. In his tenure with the company, Mr. Zanella has also served as President & Chief Operating Officer of MGM Grand Detroit, Senior Vice President of Marketing for MGM Grand Las Vegas, Vice President of Slots at Beau Rivage, Director of Slot Marketing and Player Development also at Beau Rivage, and Domestic Marketing Administrator for Table Games Marketing at The Mirage.
Mr. Zanella received his bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2014 he earned a Master in Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.