In just two years, Gobrie has taken the reins of a 20-year-old South African casino and steered it through a bold transformation. What was once a tired entertainment venue has been rejuvenated into a vibrant, contemporary space that now boasts new landscaping, a solar power project<\/a> and revamped conferencing facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe has won back customers by enforcing a philosophy of service excellence, has significantly increased casino market share and repositioned Sibaya in the conferencing market by completely renovating the property’s facilities. Gobrie also introduced new food and beverage concepts and stepped up the rollout of meaningful community projects,\u201d Sun International <\/strong>said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gobrie\u2019s win was announced at Time Square, and it left him stunned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore my name was called out, I had no expectation of being the top GM because my colleagues at other properties all work equally as hard. It didn\u2019t sink in immediately, and I had to pinch myself,\u201d he said, according to a report by MSN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the title comes an educational trip to Las Vegas, where Gobrie will study how international casinos operate. But for the KZN Midlands-born leader, the real reward was the reaction from his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I got to King Shaka airport in Durban, I was surprised to see the management team were there to greet me\u2026 staff lined up along the boulevard to the casino, singing and dancing for me\u2026 even customers were singing,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis award is not for me \u2013 it\u2019s for us, because you all stepped up to make me look good. In this industry, it\u2019s our people that make this business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having started as an accountant at Sibaya when it was just two months old, Gobrie\u2019s journey has come full circle. Yet, his passion is far from spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis place is special. This industry is special and Sun International is special\u2026 and I still have so much more to give and to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under his leadership, Sibaya didn\u2019t just win top GM, it also scooped the group\u2019s Sustainability Award, solidifying its comeback as one of Sun International\u2019s star performers.<\/p>\n\n\nA trip to Las Vegas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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