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Chuck E Cheese parent names former Six Flags exec to CEO spot
January 22, 2020
Chuck E. Cheese parent company, CEC Entertainment, Inc. has named former Six Flags development company executive David McKillips as its CEO, replacing Tom Leverton who has resigned, a press release said. Leverton was with the brand five years.
McKillips has more than 25 years of experience in the family entertainment, media and theme park industries, the company said, serving most recently as president of the International Development Company for Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, responsible for the operational management of all properties outside the United States. In addition, McKillips served as Six Flags senior vice president, In-Park Services, leading the food and beverage, retail, games and procurement functions across all U.S. Six Flags parks.
Prior to joining Six Flags, he served as vice president of advertising and custom publishing sales for DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, and has held multiple leadership roles within Sea World Entertainment and Sesame Place.
"On behalf of the board of directors, I am excited to welcome David to the CEC team," Andrew S. Jhawar, board chairman and Apollo Global Management, Inc. senior partner and head of the consumer and retail industry team, said in the release. "David is a proven executive with a lifetime of experience and success in the family entertainment industry, both domestically and around the world. He has demonstrated an ability to drive revenue growth through innovation, marketing, licensing, improved operations and corporate partnerships, which are skills that make him the ideal candidate to lead CEC into its next phase of growth."
As of Sept. 29, 2019, the company and its franchisees operated 610 Chuck E. Cheese and 128 Peter Piper Pizza venues, with locations in 47 states and 15 foreign countries and territories.
