Light & Wonder Appoints Nathan Drane as Chief Product Officer
Light & Wonder has named Nathan Drane as its new Chief Product Officer (CPO), expanding his role to oversee game development across the entire business. Drane, who joined the company in 2022, has an extensive background in the gaming industry, including leadership positions at Aristocrat and Scientific Games.
A Career Spanning Top Industry Suppliers
Drane’s career in gaming began in 2009 at Aristocrat, where he started as a marketing graduate. Over 12 years, he progressed through various strategic roles, including Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific, Senior Manager of Product Strategy for ANZ & Asia Pacific, and ultimately Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Games Sales.
In 2021, he transitioned to Scientific Games as Vice President of Global Sales Games, quickly advancing to Senior Vice President of Global Product Management.
In 2022, Drane moved to Light & Wonder, continuing his role in product management. His rapid ascent within the company saw him take on the position of CPO of Gaming before now stepping into the enterprise-wide Chief Product Officer role.
A Strategic Vision for Game Development
As CPO, Drane will lead game development across all segments of Light & Wonder’s business. His predecessor, Rich Schneider, will remain with the company as a Senior Advisor.
“I’ve personally worked with Nathan for many years, and I couldn’t be happier for him to share his leadership and vision with the entire enterprise. He has already been working with many across the business on our cross-platform strategy and has a clear and aggressive content roadmap that will ensure our continued success, positioning us for growth in the near and long term”, commented Light & Wonder President and CEO Matt Wilson.
“This new centralised content organisation formalises our global strategy of building the world’s best games in every market on every intended platform. It provides us an opportunity to make data-driven development and roadmap decisions, gives us new opportunities to grow talent, and drives efficiencies throughout the game-creation process”, added Nathan Drane.
Leadership Changes at Light & Wonder
Drane’s appointment comes amid broader leadership changes at Light & Wonder, including the recent promotion of Simon Johnson to CEO of iGaming.
Johnson, who joined Scientific Games in 2017 before transitioning to Light & Wonder, previously served as SVP & Managing Director for EMEA.