Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

40 Under 40 - 2010

Brad Warga

Corporate vice president of talent and employee engagement, Harrah’s Entertainment

Brad Warga

Brad Warga

Age: 37

Current job: Corporate vice president of talent and employee engagement, Harrah’s Entertainment

Education: Rollins College, Bachelor’s of Science degree in business

About Brad Warga: In his role at Harrah’s Entertainment, Brad Warga is focused on talent acquisition that includes executive recruitment, corporate and property hirings as well as all campus programs. Under Warga’s leadership, Harrah’s has earned more than 26 Best Places to Work awards around the country and annually contends for Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work honors. Warga is the founder of the MBA World Series of Poker, which is now one of the largest MBA recruitment events in the country. Previously, Warga spent time with Price Waterhouse Consulting and the Sapient Corporation, a Boston-based Internet consulting firm.

The most important issue facing the valley: The economy has been particularly harsh on the gaming industry over the last 18 months. We’ve had to make tough decisions to control our destiny that has created anxiety and stress for employees who feel uncertain about their futures in Las Vegas.

My mentor and why: Mary Thomas, the senior vice president of human resources has been my mentor and coach for the last five years. Early in my career, she took an interest in who I was, my strengths, my areas for development and my passions outside of work.

Favorite Web site: It’s a toss up between the Aston Martin homepage (www.astonmartin.com) where I dream about configuring my own DBS or the Ducati website (www.ducati.com) where I dream about racing motorcycles on a track. Dreams are good right?

Hobbies: Other than my wonderful wife and three children, I’ve become fascinated with UFC and Mixed Martial Arts.

Fantasy job: I grew up in Florida surfing from a young age. My parents were supportive and drove me to the beach daily but at some point I realized I probably wasn’t going to make a living at surfing. My fantasy job would be to get paid to surf around the world. It’s strange that I ended up in the desert.

One-word description of self: Optimist

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