Left to right: Philip Brown, Mariana Pretorius, Tom Kaloni
Meet our 'Acting Casino Shift Managers' at SkyCity Hamilton - Philip, Mariana, and Tom. Each have their own unique and interesting stories to tell in how they got in to their current role, keep on reading below to find out!
Phillip Brown
I started my career at SkyCity Auckland in 1999 as a dealer when I was 20. I still had a full head of BLACK hair back then. For the next three years I mainly worked as a VIP dealer in the VIP room, coincidentally that's where I meet the woman who'd be my wife. In 2002, I moved to Hamilton to help open what was called SKY Riverside Casino as a Dual-Rate Supervisor. In 2005, my wife and I moved to Christchurch when we had our first daughter to be closer to family. We both worked in the Christchurch Casino for around one and a half years as Dealers before moving back to Hamilton.
On our return I quickly got promoted to Table Games Supervisor after winning the dealer competition in 2007, which sent me to Sydney to compete against dealers from around the world ... didn't win. A few years and another daughter later, and after saying "yes" to everything and being incredibly motivated, I got promoted to Acting Pit Manager and then Acting Casino Shift Manager in 2011, which is my current position.
My self-appointed nick name "Captain Awesome" won me the leadership award at Quest for the Best, then Runner up Employee of the year in 2017.
What I've enjoyed the most about SkyCity Hamilton are the customers and fellow staff, it may sound a bit cliche but because of our small size, it allows us to have those personal interactions and build professional relationships within a diverse group, who offer a lot of different stories and back grounds if you're willing to listen.
How I see it, because we work in the entertainment industry, we need to be incredibly customer focused and importantly have fun, I think if we're having fun so will our customers. If a guest comes into OUR Casino and receives world class customer service, win or lose they will return.
Overall, it's been an interesting journey to get here, it hasn't all been easy, but it's made me the person I am today both personally and professionally. So thank you SkyCity, that's a WIN!
Mariana Pretorius
On a night out at Christchurch Casino I mentioned to a Pit Manager there how fun it looks to be a dealer. He told me a new Dealer school was starting in a week and I should give it go ... and so my career in the casino industry started, purely by accident, and I am glad it did.
I started as a dealer and after a couple of years moved into a Dual Rate Dealer/Supervisor position, my next step up was a promotion to Games Supervisor, and soon after Poker Supervisor - a very exciting role during the annual New Zealand Poker Championships. In 2007, I won the Christchurch Casino Dealer Championship and represented the casino at the Australasian Championships in Sydney which was a fantastic experience.
Soon after I was promoted to Acting Pit Manager, and that was the position I held until I left in 2011. I made the decision to leave Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquakes, and after almost 10 years there, it was a hard one to make. I started at SkyCity in June 2011 as a Dual Rate Dealer/Supervisor, and in 2012 I was promoted to Acting Pit Manager.
I have been involved with many things including training, organising the Dealer Championships, ELP (Emerging Leadership Programme), and I won the Leadership award at Quest for the Best a few years ago. My real passion is people, training and development and I have trained many Dealers and Supervisors through the years. I still make my dealers nervous when I watch them deal… I like to call that “The Power”. I was promoted to Acting Casino Shift Manager in 2018 and I am enjoying the new challenge, but I will always miss being a Dealer.
Tom Kaloni
Before SkyCity I studied at the University of Auckland and only held part time jobs in hospitality. I began my career with SkyCity Auckland back in 2004 as a dealer and this was my first full-time job. Within four years I learnt all four major games (Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and Pai Gow) and also got promoted to higher duties (Gaming Supervisor). From 2012 - 2014 I then worked with SkyCity Auckland's training team. This team worked closely with the Recruitment team and looked at the full interview process, from new hire to re-hire in Table Games.
I trained first game dealers with no gaming knowledge, to up-skilling dealers with an additional major game and classes ranging from 15 - 35 people. While in the training room, I applied for a dual rate role into a Pit Manager and was successful and then returned to the gaming floor. As a Pit Manager, I was exposed to a lot of International Business.
One of these international players came to Hamilton to game and I was accompanied by three other staff who were brought down from Auckland to help meet his special gaming requests. I was impressed with the Hamilton staff and their professionalism. In 2018 I saw an opportunity to take on the role as an "Acting Casino Shift Manager" and was fortunate to get the job. In December, I began training for my current role and was transferred to Hamilton from Auckland. I have been here for 7 months now and my family and I are loving it here.
Thanks for sharing your stories team! If this inspired you to join us at SkyCity Hamilton, then check out our Careers website to view all of our current vacancies!
