Light & Wonder CLO James Sottile to retire; Susan Dawson to take over
James Sottile, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and Corporate Secretary of gaming equipment and online content provider Light & Wonder Inc, will retire from the company at the end of 2025. The announcement was made by Light & Wonder in a filing to Nasdaq on Friday. His last day of service will be 31 December 2025.
The company confirmed that Susan Dawson, currently Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, will succeed Sottile as CLO and Corporate Secretary following his retirement. Dawson joined Light & Wonder in 2012 and has served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel since 2018. She is currently based in the United Kingdom. As part of her new role, she will relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.
Consulting role for smooth transition
Sottile informed the company on 16 June 2025 of his decision to retire. To support a smooth transition, he has agreed to provide consulting services from 1 January 2026 through 31 December 2026. Light & Wonder will pay him a monthly fee of US$11,959 during this period, which equals 20 percent of his base salary for fiscal year 2025.
On 20 June 2025, Light & Wonder signed an amendment to Sottile’s employment agreement, originally dated 2 August 2021. This amendment extends his employment through the end of 2025, making him eligible for his annual bonus for that year. It also ensures that his equity awards will follow the company’s standard retirement equity vesting policy for all equity grant recipients. On the same date, the company entered into a consulting agreement confirming his role as consultant throughout 2026.
These , which also noted that Dawson’s appointment as CLO and Corporate Secretary will take effect upon Sottile’s retirement.
Ambitious growth target
Light & Wonder recently announced its goal of achieving annual consolidated adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $2.0 billion by 2028. This represents a 42.9 percent increase from the targeted adjusted EBITDA of $1.4 billion in 2025. In 2024, the company reported revenue of $3.19 billion, up from $2.90 billion in 2023, with net income more than doubling to $336 million. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA for 2024 reached $1.24 billion.
