Billionaire James Packer will return to the board of Crown Resorts just one year after quitting to focus on the casino operator's development projects.
His appointment to the board is one of several leadership changes at Crown Resorts, following the company's recent decision to reduce its exposure to Macau and focus on its Australian assets.
Chairman Robert Rankin will step down at the end of January, and will be replaced by deputy chairman and former Sydney Morning Herald editor John Alexander.
Mr Rankin is also stepping down as chief executive of Mr Packer's private investment vehicle Consolidated Press Holdings, which holds a 48.2 per cent stake in Crown Resorts.
Mr Packer said he and Mr Rankin, who has lived in London and Hong Kong over the last 16 years, had amically and mutually agreed that Mr Rankin step down.
"This realignment of corporate priorities, which Rob strongly endorsed and drove, coupled with his own professional and personal priorities based overseas, made this conversation, like all our conversations, straightforward," Mr Packer said in a statement.
"I trust and respect him as much today as ever, and we remain the closest of friends."
Mr Rankin will stay on the Crown board as a director and also remain a director of Crown's joint-venture in Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment.
Guy Jalland, a corporate lawyer with a close connection to Mr Packer, will replace Mr Rankin as CEO at Consolidated Press Holdings.
Mr Jalland has also been nominated for the next casual vacancy on the Crown Resorts board, or by expansion of the board at the company's next annual general meeting.
Mr Packer quit the Crown Resorts board in December 2015 to focus on development projects in Sydney, Melbourne and Las Vegas, and Crown's online platforms.
A year later, Crown has decided to abandon a demerger of its international assets from its Australian operations, and sold down its stake in the Macau casinos and hotels to Melco.
It has also deferred plans to develop a casino resort in Las Vegas.
Crown's Australian assets include casinos and hotels in Melbourne and Perth, and a VIP casino and six-star hotel development at Barangaroo in Sydney.
The company's recent moves follow the arrest of 18 Crown employees in China in October, as Chinese authorities crack down on gambling and the flow of money overseas.
Crown's joint-venture casinos in Macau and its VIP gaming operations in Melbourne and Perth have also been hit by China's anti-corruption campaign and a weaker Chinese economy, which have hurt the market for high-rolling gamblers.
Crown Resorts shares dropped 14 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to $11.58.
