Stanley and Boushy Head Up IT at Harrah’s

It’s official. Last month, Tim Stanley (right) took over as CIO of Las Vegas-based casino company Harrah’s Entertainment. The 36-year-old Stanley continues to report to John Boushy, who remains senior vice president of operations, products and services, a position he has held since February 1999. CIO caught up with Boushy and Stanley to get the scoop on their new roles.

CIO: John, how does this announcement change your role?

Boushy: It’s galvanized me around certain areas of our business?in particular, slots and design and construction. I’m looking at how we can merchandise our slot machines better on the floor. It’s amazing how important where you put the slot [machine] is, where you put the lights, the color of the lights, the sound and ambient noise on the floor. If we merchandise them well, they contribute very powerfully [to the bottom line], to improved customer experiences and greater customer loyalty.

Tim, what are you going to do differently from John?

Stanley: I see assuming the CIO role as evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. As I’ve had an opportunity to work in a variety of capacities with John, I’ve learned and adopted a number of his ideas and approaches. John has a tremendous legacy here. He and his team have put in some outstanding systems and programs that I’ll take to the next level.

What is the next level?

Stanley: It’s the idea of the active enterprise. We want to make our interactions with customers?whether they take place on the phone, on our website or at a slot machine?more dynamic and proactive. We’re taking what we’ve done with our data warehouse, operational systems and our CRM environment and integrating them in an active environment, so when someone checks in to a hotel, we know exactly what needs to take place on the property to provide them with a seamless experience.