2004 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Proven leader
Jennifer Martinez
Vice President of Human Resources
Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.
She was born in New York, but Jennifer
Martinez definitely grew up in gaming.
Martinez arrived in Las Vegas in her early
teens. Her father was in casino management;
by age 16 Martinez was thoroughly primed for a gaming future. "I really had the
opportunity, for all intents and purposes, to
grow up in industry," says Martinez. "I was
familiar with gaming and often helped the
casino with promotional mailers. I was definitely
exposed to the industry." At 19,
Martinez joined the Holiday Inn (later
Harrah's) on the center strip and began her
career in front desk hotel reservations. That
led to a three-year stint in hotel management,
and then guest management as she
worked her way through college and a business
management degree. Opportunity
abounded, and Martinez was presented
with the chance to cross over disciplines
and open up riverboat properties in
Shreveport, Louisiana. "I had started working
with HR on special projects," she says.
"I was a trainer, and also did some facilitation.
So a lot of that was going to be
required with the riverboat properties; I was
going to be the training manager, working
in HR and start-up operations and also
employee training."
Martinez counts herself as fortunate.
"Today, it's very difficult to get jobs like that
without years of experience," she says.
After one year in Shreveport, she was asked
to open Harrah's first Indian gaming property,
Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino Resort casino
outside of Phoenix, Arizona. "I was hired in
a lateral role," she says. "I think that's really
important for women—taking those
risks, and taking on opportunities that can
sometimes be lateral moves." The new
employee development manager position
was a unique role for her in that she now
worked for the management company
instead of the casino owner. In 1996, she
crossed over into other parts of human
resources, becoming human resources manager
and then director. In 1998 she went to
Harrah's corporate offices, which at the
time were in Memphis, Tennessee. In
January 1999, she resigned to stay home
after having her second child.
This is a recurring theme with Martinez.
Balance is very important to her, and she
has clearly spent a great deal of time working
with her husband to maintain the right
mix of work and family. This was especially
true after she reentered the workforce in
July of 2000 with Aristocrat Technologies,
Inc., a technology-focused company.
"I wanted to find a leading-edge company,"
she says. "Having those other commitments
outside of work, and still having a
'seat at the table,' is a bigger challenge. But
I think men, and husbands in particular, are
seeing that women can make as good a living
or better. My boss Gavin (Isaacs,
Aristocrat's president) is very flexible. If
you're an executive, it's about getting the
job done and being productive at whatever
hour you have to get that job done."
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Being a woman isn't particularly on
Martinez's mind most of the time. "I've
been the only female exec for the last few
years until we named Michi Scola vice president
of operations," she says. "It is something
you think about. But I've had the
opportunity to do well because I've worked
for great companies, and I have always
been treated with respect. I have not been
deterred in any way." She racks her brain to
find any disadvantages. "Have I been in situations
where I have been the only female,
and there is less interaction? Absolutely,"
she says. "It is harder to be female in the
industry. They have to work harder to be
credible and build their reputations. You
need to prove yourself. And if you're a
female and the industry excites you, in
order to survive you can't just limit yourself
to just one discipline. Make your mark. But
you don't think about it too much—just
have fun, and work at building relationships
with your male counterparts. Identify
with mentors that are going to help you
along. It's about having mentors, and being
at the right place at the right time. You can't
stay undercover. But don't do it to the
extent that it's not genuine."
She does feel that there can, and will, be
more women in powerful roles. "I think you
have to look at where the females are in
gaming," says Martinez. "You're still not
seeing too many women like Marilyn Winn
(senior vice president and general manager
for Harrah's Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino),
who was my training manager at Harrah's."
Often, though, powerful roles require
round-the-clock effort—not conducive to
someone like Martinez with a husband and
three children. "I think that the operational
jobs require a certain lifestyle…which is
one of my main reasons I went into HR,"
says Martinez. "It's the best of both
worlds."
Still, she is optimistic about the current
state of women in gaming. "(It) is definitely
changing," she says. "It's because of
companies…that are targeting minorities,
including women. We're seeing that women
can do the traditional male roles in gaming.
I would tell women who want to advance in
our industry to align themselves with great
mentors and believe in their abilities."
Copyright 2011, Great Women of Gaming. All rights reserved.
