Scientific Games' Board Director Frances Townsend to speak at women leadership event

Scientific Games Corporation announced Wednesday that Frances Townsend, member of the company’s Board of Directors, will be the guest speaker at the Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WILL) event to be held at New York City’s Park Lane Hotel on October 30th during Public Gaming Research Institute’s (PGRI) Lottery Expo NYC 2019 attended by government lotteries, legislators and government regulators from throughout North America.

Townsend is Executive Vice President for Worldwide Government, Legal and Business Affairs for MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, which owns and operates a diverse array of businesses spanning a wide range of industries, including global cosmetic and haircare icon Revlon and Scientific Games, which provides games, technology and services to more than 150 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe.

She has over 30 years of world crisis experience, having served as the former Homeland Security Advisor to United States President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2007. She also served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism. In 2008, Townsend joined CNN as a contributor, then moved to CBS in 2016 where she is the senior national security analyst. She is also president of the Counter Extremism Project and on the Board at the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Pat McHugh, Lottery Group CEO for Scientific Games, said: “We are honored that Fran Townsend, who has served as such a strong leader for our country and Scientific Games, will be sharing her unique and empowering experiences to inspire women in the lottery industry. As one of the largest employers of talented women in the industry, we are a strong supporter of the Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership and its mission.”

Launched in 2017 by PGRI and Rebecca Hargrove, who is currently World Lottery Association President and Tennessee Lottery CEO, WILL’s mission is to drive high-performance business growth for lotteries by supporting the advancement of women into top positions of management, leadership and responsibility in the lottery industry.

“We look forward to another meaningful gathering of leaders from throughout the lottery industry at our WILL event in New York City,” Hargrove said. “The event is highlighted by Fran Townsend from Scientific Games’ Board of Directors, who is joining us to share her experiences as a very successful leader. Mentoring and advocating for women has been one of my passions since I began my career. WILL is very proud to be at the forefront of supporting advancement for women in the lottery sector.”