Crown Resorts CEO and Managing Director Ken Barton has stepped down from the company. Chair Helen Coonan will assume the role of executive chairman while the company searches for a new CEO, Crown told the ASX on Monday. Barton had been under pressure to resign after being heavily criticised in an inquiry report. The report’s author, former NSW Supreme Court Judge Patricia Bergin, said the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) did not have confidence in Crown while Barton remained at the helm. Coonan said in a statement on Monday that assuming role of chair was not a decision taken lightly, but the board felt the move provided leadership stability and certainty. Crown is navigating a high-stakes negotiation with the ILGA that will determine whether it can open its casino at the newly opened Crown Sydney facility at Sydney’s Barangaroo. “The Board is determined to maintain …