The first stage of Hoi An Development Ltd’s casino resort project in Hoiana, Vietnam, is scheduled to be open in 2019. The initial plans call for three hotels, a casino, a golf course and food and beverage outlets to be offered at that time, part of the overall $4 billion being invested into the project. So to help things run smoothly, Hoi An has tapped veteran gaming executive Steve Wolstenholme to be the company’s chief operating officer (COO).

In a statement, Hoi An CEO Richard Lam said described Wolstenholme as an experienced executive who has “strong background in pre-opening large scale projects” and “a proven leader with an extensive knowledge of gaming and hospitality across many markets.” In his position as COO, Lam said Wolstensholme “will play a critical role” in Hoi An’s success.

Wolstenholme, who hails from the UK, is a highly experienced international gaming executive. He previously served as the COO, president and managing director for Okada Manila and as the COO for Galaxy Macau. He has worked in the casino industry since the early 1980s, getting his start as a croupier in Brighton, England. Following the UK, he left for the Bahamas to work at the Atlantis Casino and Resort (previously known as Paradise Island Casino), where he worked his way up to Gaming Manager and Salon Privé Manager. Wolstenholme holds an Executive MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

The Hoiana project is a joint venture between Suncity Group, VinaCapital Group out of Vietnam and a subsidiary of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd out of Hong Kong. Brokerage firm Union Gaming Asia assesses the project extremely high, stating that it could generate VIP gaming volumes of “Macau flagship levels.”