Issuu

GamblingIQ.co.uk

Editor’s Note

Run the World “

Welcome to an issue packed with power, purpose and proof that the iGaming industry’s best ideas increasingly come from women. We begin with a peek inside one of the world’s biggest and most mischievous brands. Paddy Power, founded by three small independent bookmakers in Ireland in 1988, has long mixed comedy with courage, and Leah Spears, its newly promoted Director of Marketing from Leeds in England, lets us in on the secret. You probably won’t find Leah on the trade show circuit, but in these pages you’ll get a rare one-on-one: how Paddy’s creativity works like a “team sport,” how risk is calculated, and why authenticity and culture still beat algorithms. Meanwhile, Colombia is calling, and we meet the inspirational Viviana David of IGT PlayDigital (pages 06–07), who explains how resilience and sharp data instincts turned her into one of Latin America’s standout commercial leaders. Brazil’s Lorena Vieira of Barbara Bang (10–11) really has run the world in 2025, and she is proof that partnership and profit can travel hand in hand, while Olabimpe Akingba of pawaTech (24–25) takes us through what responsible gaming strategy and regulatory engagement looks like across Africa. Eva Berkova at BETBY (16-17) is turning platform precision into growth, and Daria Fot of EvenBet meanwhile is on pages 28–29, where the undisputed queen of remote working shares hard-won 16-17 advice for anyone plotting a move or new role. There’s also some bad news. Our exclusive GamblingIQ survey reveals that 68 percent of women in gaming have witnessed gender bias, and nearly half have faced unequal promotion prospects. Yet the same data shows a shift: 61 percent now report visible female leadership at board level, and companies measuring DE&I performance are twice as likely to retain top female talent. Real progress, at last.

- Róisín Hogan, (pictured) is Managing Director of Gaming Content & Product at Flutter UK & Ireland, overseeing Sky Games, Paddy Power, Betfair. See page 13 for her story.

So who wins the eternal B2B versus B2C debate? The answer’s simple: the women in these pages could do either. They can design the games, run the platforms and drive the brands. Finally, turn to The Power 10 from page 40-49, a roll-call of leaders whose decisions will define the next phase of global iGaming. From code to culture, the message is clear: talent has no gender, and the future belongs to those bold enough to run the world.

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

+ Index Highlights

- Pictured: Viviana David, Head of Commercial LATAM at IGT PlayDigital. Read her inspiring story on pages 06 & 07 +

Paddy Power, Leah Spears “Our brand works because we treat creativity like a team sport” - Leah Spears, Head of Brand at Paddy Power on Culture, Courage, and Creativity

IGT PlayDigital, Viviana David

04-05

06-07

GamblingIQ finds a gem in Medellín, Colombia. “Knowledge, Passion and Resilience have no gender” - Viviana David, Head of Commercial LATAM at IGT PlayDigital +

Magnificent 7: Business Development The Sales Engine Room: Top 7 to watch in Business Development and partnerships for 2026

Barbara Bang, Lorena Vieira

08-09 10-11

We speak to the woman who has put in more miles than anybody else in 2025; Lead Business Development & Partnership Manager at Barbara Bang, Lorena Vieira +

Magnificent 7: Gaming Content & Innovation

14-15

Eva Berkova, BETBY

16-17

From a 15-person start-up to a 300+-strong powerhouse, Eva Berkova, Chief Operating Officer of BETBY, has shaped the company’s operational backbone +

Magnificent 7: Platforms & Aggregators

20-21

Olabimpe Akingba, pawaTech

24-25

GamblingIQ interviews Olabimpe Akingba, Head of Responsible Gaming at pawaTech, on responsible gaming strategy and regulatory engagement across Africa +

Magnificent 7: Public Relations & Marketing

26-27

Daria Fot, EvenBet

28-29

Sexism in Gambling

34-35

As Director of Human Resources Development at EvenBet, Daria Fot leads one of iGaming’s most globally dispersed teams. She proves that distance is no barrier to talent or teamwork

GamblingIQ’s exclusive survey reveals persistent sexism, though signs suggest the industry like others before it, may finally be inching toward a merit-based future

The Power 10

40-49

GamblingIQ presents the female executives demonstrating exceptional leadership and the potential to shape the industry’s future at the highest levels

#RunTheWorld

LEAH SPEARS, PADDY POWER

Paddy Power’s Culture, Courage & Creativity Behind the Laughs: Leah Spears, Marketing Director at Paddy Power, shares her creative playbook with GamblingIQ

Hailing from Leeds, England, a city that prizes plain-speaking wit, Leah Spears, the newly appointed Marketing Director at Paddy Power, approaches her work with the clinical attention of someone mapping a punchline. Under Michelle Spillane, the recently promoted Managing Director Online, responsible for Commercial, Brand and Marketing, the company has refashioned creativity into organisational muscle: not a department’s indulgence but a tactic. Spillane’s arrival, Leah says, made it clear that “creativity is a business strategy, not just a department, and when you turn creativity into a company-wide habit, growth becomes inevitable.” Paddy Power’s persona trades on satire; the brand navigates the razor edge between punchline and offence with craft and calculation. Leah sets out the anatomy of an advert into three sections: “There are hundreds of considerations in the creative process, but there are three major tentpoles that give it stability; insight, timing and bravery!” Insight uncovers a quiet truth that grants permission to jest. Timing is the ability to “read the room”, to know when an idea will land. Bravery keeps the work from being anaemic: “If you’re going to say the things that everyone else is truly thinking, you have to be brave and hold your nerve.” - At Paddy Power, funny isn’t a job title, it’s a shared language. Decisions to proceed are collective, and the final call needs to make commercial sense -

+ Pictured, Leah Spears, Marketing Director at Paddy Power

#RunTheWorld

At Paddy Power, ideas are treated like a team sport. “The beauty of having a business built on creativity is that ideas can come from anywhere and at Paddy Power, funny isn’t a job title – it’s a shared language,” Leah says. “They can arrive from legal or accounts, from agency veterans at BBH, or from our in-house entertainers or social media comedy writers. When you want to push the boundaries, you can’t do it alone. It really does take a village,” she says. The writers’ room mixes copywriters and entertainers with legal minds who spot where a joke might trip. “We naturally recruit people with funny bones,” Leah notes. Of course, not every campaign survives the passage from idea to screen. Projects are pulled when context shifts or timing proves poor. Decisions to proceed are collective and the final call needs commercial sense. Under Spears and Spillane’s stewardship, mischief has structure. “We don’t set out to shock,” Leah says. “We set out to connect.” Spears adds that she is lucky to have joined the industry at a time when so many incredible women have paved the way through CRO, Trustly their success. She cites trailblazers like Róisín Hogan, Gaming Product Director in Flutter and Marion Ryan, the MD of Tombola, who have supported her career. - We don’t set out to shock, We set out to connect -

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GAMBLINGIQ

Pictured, (left): Paddy Power ambassador, former England football striker Peter Crouch, stars in the hugely popular ‘First Dates’ TV sponsorship ident

Five Seconds of Wit: How Paddy Power Nails Cultural Relevance Legendary branding doesn’t always arrive as a sweeping TV campaign or viral stunt. Sometimes, it’s a five second flash of comedy tucked between two television segments. One of Leah Spears’ most engaging projects since joining Paddy Power is the series of sponsorship idents created with agency BBH for the UK broadcaster Channel 4’s dating show ‘First Dates’ — those brief, branded moments that bookend commercial breaks. Each one, Spears says, distils real-life dating awkwardness into a perfectly timed joke while showcasing the bookmaker’s trademark wit.

First Dates With Crouch

“These shorts are based around real-life dating experiences, true insights across diverse couples,” Spears explains, “but the craft from our director and production company is the unlock to making them exceptional branding moments.” Directed by Andrew Gaynord of Mindseye, the idents blend casting, comic timing and visual polish into what Spears calls a five-second masterclass in wit. “Telling jokes in five seconds is a true art form,” she says. “The casting, the timing, the PaddyPower.com

art direction, all contributes. And the cherry on the cake is the inclusion of our ambassador, former England football international Peter Crouch.” For Spears, the measure of success isn’t just a laugh, but connection. “When you can make someone laugh in between the announcer saying ‘what’s coming up next on Channel 4’ and the ‘First Dates’ show, I think you’ve truly nailed cultural relevance,” she says.

Irish or English Humour?

That notion of timing, tone, and truth runs through Spears’ work. “We’re 80% planned and 20% reactive because you can’t be spontaneous without structure,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what brand you work for, you have to create a solid plan that allows agility, otherwise you’ll lose focus and become inefficient when you work in such a fast-paced environment and sporting calendar. We plan like a retailer but we think like a newsroom; a balance of longterm strategic moves coupled with a culture of headline hijacking keeps us relevant and on the tip of everyone’s tongues.” It’s a formula that keeps the brand simultaneously grounded and nimble. The marketing calendar

hums with predictable peaks — Cheltenham, the Grand National, the Premier League — yet space is always left open for those culturally opportunistic moments when the news cycle meets Paddy Power’s appetite for irony. Spears insists that speed alone isn’t cleverness; structure is what gives spontaneity its edge. That balance also extends to the brand’s identity — equal parts Irish charm and British self-awareness — though Spears dismisses the idea that national humour is what defines Paddy Power’s voice. “I’d say the real secret sauce isn’t Irish or English humour — it’s human truth,” she says. “There’s probably a bit of a myth in the industry that the PP team thrives on irreverence, and that we’re a bunch of comedians having a great time. But in fact, we couldn’t be more serious about the work we do, the regulations we operate within, and the detail and diligence that goes into every piece of comms.”

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

Viviana David

IGT PlayDigital's

“ Knowledge, Passion and Resilience have no gender ”

Medellín, Colombia—once defined by its turbulent past— is also where Viviana David learned to turn adversity into opportunity. Growing up there, she studied electronic engineering and financed her degree by working on casino floors, launching a career as a slot machine technician that evolved into roles spanning product development, logistics, and commercial leadership. Now leading IGT PlayDigital’s commercial efforts across regulated Latin American markets, Viviana blends the nostalgia of land-based classics with the innovation of modern digital gaming. Her lifelong curiosity about how things work

#RunTheWorld

has propelled her journey from the technical trenches to strategic leadership. At heart, she remains both a traveller and a family person, her commercial instincts shaped by Medellín’s remarkable spirit of reinvention. Championing inclusion and pragmatic commercialism, and balancing technical rigour with market intuition, Viviana builds teams that emphasise local insight, agile product rollouts, and deep operator partnerships across Latin America. Visit: igt.com/products-and-services/playdigital

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

“ Medellín has experienced an extraordinary transformation — from being stigmatised by violence to becoming a hub of innovation, resilience, and entrepreneurship. This journey mirrors my own career: challenges became opportunities, and what others saw as limitations, I saw as paths to growth ” Viviana David, Head of Commercial LATAM at IGT PlayDigital, explains how Medellín, land‑based roots and a personal mission for inclusion shape a strategy built on nostalgia, omnichannel products & com‑ mercial pragmatism.

Viviana is vocal about being a mother to a child with Down Syndrome. For her, inclusion is not just a personal value but a workplace imperative: hiring practices, accessibility and community outreach form part of how she measures success. This human element turns corporate diversity commitments into concrete commercial advantages — broader talent pipelines and stronger community trust. She tells GamblingIQ: “As a woman, and a mother of a child with Down Syndrome, I bring resilience, empathy, and precision to my role. Every decision I take must be clear, structured, and future-focused, because I carry not only professional goals but also a personal mission of inclusion. To other women I say believe in your knowledge - technical and commercial spaces are not only for men. Balance is hard, but possible if you stay focused on your priorities and surround yourself with people who respect your value and never accept less.”

Latam

Momentum

Blending local expertise with IGT’s global innovation

She’s Got Game

Male v. Female?

Viviana David’s entry into iGaming was almost accidental, but quickly became a passion. She began on the casino floor in 2004 as a slot technician, handling tools, soldering circuits, and setting up network connections; tasks few would associate with her today. The role gave her daily contact with players, revealing their emotions, frustrations, and loyalty. Witnessing the industry’s evolution from coins to cashless and eventually to omnichannel gaming, she discovered that gaming is not just technology, but emotion, entertainment, and innovation.

GamblingIQ: Male-female ratio in gaming still sits at roughly 57% men to 43% women globally. At the same time, women are becoming far more visible in leadership roles and at industry events. From your perspective, does that visibility bring particular opportunities or challenges, and how have you navigated them in your own career?

Bridging Land-Based and Digital Viviana worked with leading suppliers such as Novomatic and Merkur before joining IGT’s land-based team in Colombia in 2018. Her roles spanned technical support, logistics, product analysis, marketing, and commercial development. That foundation remains vital today, as IGT is a truly omnichannel company— building bridges between land-based and digital gaming. Iconic titles like Cleopatra began on the casino floor and now thrive online. With a 360° view of the industry, she helps operators enhance player experiences through IGT’s consistency, trust, and cross-channel innovation.

Driving Latam Growth As Head of Commercial LATAM at IGT PlayDigital, Viviana’s role drives growth in regulated markets including Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and the dynamic Brazilian market. The focus is maximising player experience through IGT’s unique omnichannel strategy, blending nostalgia and innovation. Classic land-based casino titles are offered alongside new online content, ensuring excitement across channels. “IGT’s heritage and advanced digital capabilities create a distinctive portfolio. Building relationships and co-creating strategies with operators enhances engagement and retention,” she says. “Regulatory and contract approval delays can present challenges, so patience and persistence unlock longterm opportunities in LATAM.”

Viviana David: “The visibility of women in leadership is both an opportunity and a responsibility. It allows us to inspire new generations, but it also puts us under greater scrutiny. In my case, I’ve chosen to navigate with authenticity: not trying to “fit in” but to stand out with results. My path wasn’t easy in an industry historically dominated by men, but each step I took, from the technical floor to the executive table, demonstrates that knowledge, passion, and resilience have no gender”. igt.com/products-and-services/playdigital

#RunTheWorld

VIVIANA DAVID, IGT

Inclusion & Family Values

Against all Odds

MAGNIFICENT 7 Business Development & Partnerships

The Sales Engine Room

Top 7 to watch in Biz Dev for 2026

No. 1, Lorena Vieira Lead Business Development & Partnership Manager Barbara Bang GamblingIQ Comment: Across five continents, countless conversations, and 128,000 miles, Lorena Vieira has built more than partnerships — she’s built bridges. Her story is a reminder that in business, as in life, success is not about the miles you travel, but the connections you create along the way. Lorena Vieira takes the number one spot in our Business Development & Sales category for good reason. She has travelled further, opened more doors, and delivered record-breaking growth for Barbara Bang, all while maintaining the most genuine and generous presence in the iGaming industry. Colleagues, partners, and operators praise her not only for her results, but for her warmth, patience, and professionalism. Lorena is proof that success and

Lorena Vieira Barbara Bang

#RunTheWorld

kindness can go hand in hand.

“

I took a photo of the flight map and remembered that as a little girl, growing up in a favela in Brazil, I used to dream of traveling the world — I imagined doing it in a hot air balloon. That day, I realised that dream had come true. Everything I’ve worked for was worth it.

#Magnificent7/Sales

GAMBLINGIQ

Viviana David

Aida Bachner

Olga Sirokha

Head of Commercial LATAM IGT PlayDigital

Dir. Business & Customer Dev. NeoGames, Aristocrat Interactive

Director of Partnerships RubyPlay

Shaped by Medellín’s transformation into a hub of innovation, Viviana David brings an engineering foundation and years of technical experience to her role as Head of Commercial LATAM at IGT PlayDigital. Her career spans land-based and digital gaming, championing inclusive leadership, pragmatic strategy, and strong customer relationships. Known for blending technical rigor with market intuition, she drives LatAm growth through cross-channel expertise and strategic partnerships.

With almost 19 years in gaming, Aida Bachner serves as Business & Customer Success Director, EMEA & LATAM iLottery at Aristocrat Interactive after NeoGames’ buyout. She holds an MBA in Marketing & Business Dev and has held roles at Bally’s, IGT, SBTech, and Pragmatic Play. The NeoGames’ client base has risen to 32 globally. A keen speaker on panels dedicated to Lottery, she recently spoke at the EL congress in Bern and Cibelae, Asuncion. Current major partners include Hungary’s Szerenjejatek and LEIA alliance.

A seasoned iGaming professional with 20+ years of experience, Olga Sirokha leads RubyPlay’s expansion as Director of Partnerships since October 2023. She drives business across Latin America, Europe, and North America, securing major deals with regulated operators, building long-term collaborations, and supporting growth. Her leadership strengthens RubyPlay’s market position while enhancing innovative content such as Immortal Ways and driving initiatives tailored to local audiences.

Chloe Matthews

Ruzanna Goroyan

Emilie ZAMPONI

Senior Partnerships Manager BetMGM UK / LeoVegas | Part of MGM Resorts International Rooted in sports and entertainment, Chloe Matthews is Senior Partnerships Manager for BetMGM UK / LeoVegas, part of MGM Resorts International. She joined LeoVegas in 2024, bringing experience in partnerships, marketing, and stakeholder management. A UCFB graduate, Chloe previously worked with Leeds, Manchester City, and Burnley. She drives BetMGM UK’s growth by forging high-impact sports and commercial alliances.

Business Development BetConstruct

Driven by a commitment to iGaming innovation, Ruzanna leads business development at BetConstruct AI, guiding partners through strategic growth and emerging opportunities. With more than a decade of industry experience, she has built strong partnerships, led high-impact initiatives and shaped scalable solutions. Her leadership blends analytical precision with creative direction, supporting sustainable expansion across global markets.

MAGNIFICENT 7/SALES & PARTNERSHIPS

Issue 11

Regional Director Southern Europe & LatAm, Play’n Go

Guiding Play’n GO’s growth across Southern Europe and Latin America, Emilie Zamponi combines strategic vision with deep market insight. With over a decade in iGaming, she has spearheaded major deals, notably striking a landmark partnership with Sisal in Italy, reinforcing Play’n GO’s leadership there. She’s known for her commercial acumen, technical understanding, and drive to expand the brand sustainably in regulated markets.

#RunTheWorld

Miles Ahead

GamblingIQ.co.uk

5 times around the world, only one lost suitcase, and the thrill of the next partnership, with Lorena Vieira

Her year could easily rival the itinerary of a seasoned explorer. Fourteen events, hundreds of dinners and countless conversations later, her Google Maps revealed something she hadn’t even realised herself — she had traveled more than 128,000 miles (205,000 km), the equivalent of circling the planet five times. From Lisbon to Manila, São Paulo to Seoul, and Cape Town to San Francisco, Lorena Vieira’s passport tells the story of a professional whose curiosity, cultural empathy, and relentless drive define the next generation of business leadership in iGaming. “I’ve always been thirsty for opportunities,” she laughs. “Before checking my travel data, I thought I had gone around the world only once — turns out it was five!”

Lessons from the Road

Lorena’s life reads like a series of airport lounges, boarding passes, and perfectly timed meetings, but it’s far from random. She approaches travel like a disciplined athlete. “I try not to break my sleep routine and to exercise before conferences. And I have a trick — I always keep one full glass in my hand during networking events. That way, I don’t drink more than I should. The next day always collects the bill for excesses,” she laughs. Her approach is holistic: from boosting immunity with vitamins two weeks before each event to setting daily goals every morning. “I define how many people I want to meet, how many new connections I want to build, and what type of opportunities I want to attract. And somehow, it always happens. It’s all mindset.”

- Lorena Vieira: Lead Business Development & Partnership Manager, BarbarBang.com

When asked about her most memorable encounters, Lorena doesn’t hesitate, and her voice softens with gratitude. She speaks of Chris, a Head of Casino who started a meeting with technical questions and ended up giving her invaluable career advice. “It reminded me of my potential, that I’m capable of much more than I sometimes allow myself to see.” Then there’s Victoria, a CEO who built her company with one developer in a tiny room. “Her courage inspired me to take bigger leaps.” And Milica, CBDO of Platform, whose ethics and leadership deeply impressed her. “We both realised that challenges aren’t barriers, they’re fuel. Strategy is everything.” These are the kind of people that make me fall in love with this industry over and over again.”

Don’t Sell - Collaborate

“For me, it’s never about just closing a deal. I’m looking for business partners, not clients. The goal is to work together, casino and provider sideby-side, to identify profit opportunities and create something meaningful.” That mindset has shaped her strongest alliances across continents. “When I meet an operator, aggregator, or platform who truly wants to collaborate, I’ll do everything to integrate them quickly. I’m curious about their headaches, their sleepless nights, that’s my thermometer of where we can grow together.”

Favourite story from the year that was One of Lorena’s favorite stories started with what could have been a disaster. At SiGMA Dubai, a date mix-up left her without a hotel room during one of the busiest weeks of the year. “They let me sleep on the reception sofa. After 16 hours of flying, it felt like a king-size bed,” she jokes. When breakfast preparations began, she decided to help the staff set up tables. By the end of her stay, they offered her a complimentary dinner and concierge support throughout the conference. “Sometimes, you can complain — or you can connect. I always choose to connect.”

BARBARABANG.com

LORENA VIEIRA, BARBARA BANG

GAMBLINGIQ

The Journey Matters STRENGTH, PROVEN OVER TIME BY LORENA VIEIRA The woman who actually ran the world in 2025 10 iGBG London: 60,200 Miles + July in London, England

Artic Circle

Scandinavia Gaming Show: 63,080

If there is an event here in 2026, you’ll probably meet Lorena there!

Sweden Calling in October: Lorena made friends with the Finns in Sweden

01 Barcelona

Sigma Central Europe: 64,130 Miles + Final iGaming event of the year Ciao Milano, Italia!

January is cold as ICE!

07 Miami: 34,300 Miles +

Malta: 28,900 Miles + Next.io

May brings Lorena to the Miami heat and SBC Summit Americas

Manila: 43,300 Miles +

11 09

Lisbon: 65,180 Miles

Portugal Twice: SBC in September & as a guest for Web Summit

Peru: 53,900 Miles +

Rio, Brazil: 10,700 Miles +

The Peru Gaming Show in June, is fast becoming a go-to event

Back home to Brazil for SBC Summit Rio

June is Manila time. ‘Asia moves fast: the more direct you are, the better’

Sri Lanka: 19,900 Miles +04

March, Spice South Asia

Dubai: 3,200 Miles

‘After 16 hours of flying, the sofa at reception felt like a King-Size bed’ February, SIGMA Eurasia

02 Africa Cape Town: 24,000 Sigma World Africa

05 Air Miles

* 14 major events around the world

iGaming Events

+ THE POWER OF PAUSE

FULL CIRCLE: Childhood Dream

FEMALE ROLE MODELS

When Lorena returns home after her global marathons, she trades boardrooms for quiet mornings in pajamas. “I cook Brazilian food, call my mom, walk in the park. I paint, write, watch the movies I missed; but only after doing all the follow-ups from the event!” she laughs. “It takes about two weeks to really disconnect.” Those small rituals keep her grounded. “After each event, life speeds up. But what truly matters is the present — the small, everyday things that make you feel alive.”

After SiGMA Manila, Lorena flew to South Korea, then to San Francisco, en route to Peru. During the 11-hour flight, she realised she was literally circling the world. “I took a photo of the flight map and remembered that as a little girl, growing up in a favela in Brazil, I used to dream of traveling the world — I imagined doing it in a hot air balloon. That day, I realised that dream had come true. Everything I’ve worked for was worth it.”

Lorena says: “I had very few female role models when I started in iGaming. But at SBC Lisbon, most decision-makers I spoke to were women. At WebSummit, on nearly every stage, there was a woman. Our ability to multitask makes us like Swiss army knives — adaptable, precise, and essential. If any male decision-maker still hesitates to hire women for technical roles, they’re falling behind in innovation. The future is diverse — and unstoppable.”

#RunTheWorld

Male: Female Gender

GamblingIQ.co.uk

Overview

57% men 43% women

All-In Diversity Project ‘24/’25 - Gender Breakdown in Global iGaming

IQ COMMENT Some major conglomerates like IGT and Entain are now contributing to the All-In Diversity Project and the data reveals a narrowing divide: 57% men to 43% women overall, chipping away at the last report’s 60/40 chasm. Women are edging into HR, marketing, and compliance roles, but C-suite and tech seats remain lads’ territory—proof that top dogs still bark male. Half of firms now track pay gaps, a nod to accountability, while

#RunTheWorld

72% tout DEI policies and 86% monitor representation. Inclusive hiring hits 60%, and 68% offer flexible work, smartly retaining female talent amid hybrid temptations. Visibility’s up too, with more ladies at conferences and boards, but is this ‘progress’ box-ticking virtue-signalling or is it the real deal? For areas such as the Gender Pay Gap, national laws are important. Ireland for

example has implemented Gender Pay Gap reporting in 2022 for companies with 250+ employees - from 2025 this will drop to 50+ employees, increasing the number of organisations required to report. And in 2023 the EU approved the Pay Transparency Directive which will standardise and make gender pay gap reporting compulsory for employers with 100+ employees across Europe from June 2026.

With thanks to the All-In Diversity Project and Square in the Air communications, London

Irish Eyes

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

On the Future Róisín Hogan: Helping To Shape Flutter’s New Era of Play

In one of the most competitive gaming markets in the world, the battle for player attention is won by delivering smarter, sharper and more meaningful experiences. At Flutter UK & Ireland, one of the leaders helping drive that behind-the-scenes transformation is Róisín Hogan, Managing Director of Gaming Content & Product. Her mission: support Paddy Power, Sky Games and Betfair with the right content, the right product capability and the right partnerships to elevate how players discover and enjoy games, sustainably. Hogan brings a uniquely blended background to the role. With career chapters at EY, Meta, Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and her own start-up, she combines commercial and product discipline with entrepreneurial instinct. A vocal advocate for women in gaming, she serves as an executive sponsor of Flutter’s Lean In Together programme, championing equality, mentorship and progression across the organisation. Hogan’s guiding principle is simple: broaden player choice while serving the unique identity of each brand and provide customers with the very best experience. This philosophy is embodied in the Studio Incubator Programme, one of the division’s key innovation engines. The incubator offers emerging studios access to Flutter’s expertise and scale – pairing teams with product and content mentors, providing insights and offering integration support so promising ideas can reach players faster.

Partnerships That Build Real Differentiation She has also strengthened Flutter’s collaborations with many of the industry’s most influential suppliers, bringing depth, diversity and distinction to the UKI games portfolio. This has involved incorporating Games Global’s powerhouse UKI games into Flutter’s ecosystem; deepening the Pragmatic Play partnership to secure a live-casino offering that gives all three major brands access to customisable live experiences; supporting one of the most memorable branded entertainment launches for Paddy’s Mansion Heist with Playtech; championing Blueprint’s King Kong suite of titles into one of the division’s standout plays; and fostering the early partnership with Octoplay with bespoke titles proving how high-velocity partnerships can bring fresh creative energy Flutter Entertainment to well-established brands. These aren’t just content drops The Flutter Entertainment they’re deliberate strategic decisions designed to sharpen brand Group reports that 50% of its distinction, broaden choice, and deliver richer entertainment Board positions are now held value to players across the division.

50% by women

+ Pictured above is Róisín Hogan, the Managing Director of Gaming Content & Product at Flutter UK & I, bringing three of the industry’s most iconic brands together — Sky Games, Paddy Power, and Betfair

Two Halves of One Player Promise: Product + Content Róisín’s remit stretches beyond content. Her product team works shoulder-to-shoulder with technology to define what the next generation of player experience should look like. That means smoother navigation, smarter personalisation, cleaner UI, faster discovery and new ways for players to engage with the games they love. Product and content aren’t separate - they’re two halves of a single promise: that Flutter’s brands will deliver experiences that feel ambitious, polished and effortless. In a sector that often talks about innovation, Róisín is helping make it real – through partnerships, structure and a relentless focus on giving players experiences worth returning for. https://www.flutter.com/about-us/at-a-glance/ #RunTheWorld

01 14

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 Gaming Content & Innovation

Powering Innovation Redefining Play Top 7 Games Visionaries for 2026

Róisín Hogan MD Gaming Content & Product

Flutter

GamblingIQ Comment: Experienced and product-led, Róisín Hogan plays a central role in shaping Flutter’s future-facing gaming experiences through content, partnerships and player-first design. As Managing Director of Gaming Content & Product at Flutter UK & Ireland, she oversees content strategy across major brands including Sky Games, Paddy Power and Betfair. With a background spanning startups, global tech and regulated gaming, Hogan combines commercial discipline with creative execution. Her leadership has focused on building scalable product frameworks, strengthening supplier partnerships and aligning studios around player outcomes. Known for integrating innovation with operational rigour, she has helped expand Flutter’s content ecosystem while ensuring experiences remain intuitive, responsible and commercially sustainable. Her influence continues to shape how content and product work together to drive long-term player engagement.

Róisín Hogan Flutter

#RunTheWorld #RunTheWorld

“

My philosophy is simple: Broaden player choice while serving the unique identity of each brand and provide customers with the very best experience.

#Magnificent7/Games

GAMBLINGIQ

Stephanie Bruckner

Jade Pecorella

Ruzanna Elchyan

Exec Director, Global Product Portfolio Strategy Light & Wonder From portfolio planning to guiding long-term content direction, Stephanie Bruckner has built a career shaped by insight, scale, and focus. As Vice President of Global Portfolio Strategy at Light & Wonder, she helps steer one of the industry’s most diverse game portfolios across land-based and digital play. Her background in gaming, tech, and hospitality informs a clear view of player needs and product life cycles. Stephanie focuses on linking creative output with data-led choices that deepen engagement and support global growth.

From hands-on game design to shaping global product strategy, Jade Pecorella has built a career marked by creativity, insight, and influence. As Head of Casino at Playtech, she directs one of the industry’s most competitive portfolios across studios, regulated markets, and verticals. Her development background gives her a unique perspective on player behavior, blending systems thinking with clarity. Jade focuses on building scalable frameworks that deepen engagement and set the standard for modern gaming experiences.

From Casino Manager to Head of Gaming, and with over 13 years at BetConstruct, she brings deep industry expertise to her latest role where she leads the development and delivery of next-generation gaming solutions. In 2023, she launched the B.F.T.H. Arena Best FTN Game Awards, a showcase of innovation and excellence in blockchain-based gaming. Her visionary leadership continues to reinforce BetConstruct’s global reputation in iGaming excellence and technological advancement.

Head of Casino Playtech

Shelley Hannah

Natalie Krivosheeva

Chief Operations Officer Black Cow Technologies Now serving as COO at Black Cow Technologies, Shelley brings strong product and operations expertise as the company expands into a fullscale content business, developing its own games and elevating player experiences. Having advanced through the ranks at Relax Gaming, from team lead to Director of Casino Products and ultimately Chief Product Officer, she was instrumental in shaping the organisation’s renowned content strategy & growth.

Head of Gaming BetConstruct

Julia Alekseeva

Senior Product Manager Kaizen Gaming, (Betano)

Chief Product Officer BGaming

A senior product professional at Greek gaming giant Kaizen Gaming (Betano), which now employs more than 2,700 people across the globe, Natalie specialises in casino management, product strategy and casino operations. Her background spans hands-on operational roles and product leadership, culminating in her role where she drives cross-functional initiatives to enhance player experiences and deliver strong commercial outcomes.

Julia oversees BGaming’s global portfolio of slots, crash games, and crypto-enabled titles. With expertise in product strategy and game development, she drives innovation through creative features like the “Swap” mechanic and mobile-first design. She fosters a culture of collaboration, hackathons, and experimentation, inspiring teams to push creative limits. Her current focus is on emerging markets such as Latin America.

#RunTheWorld

MAGNIFICENT 7/GAMING CONTENT & INNOVATION

Issue 11

GamblingIQ.co.uk

Eva Berkova Factfile: ✓ Name: Eva Berkova ✓ Role: Chief Operating Officer, BETBY ✓ Nationality: Latvian

✓ Languages: 5 ✓ Education: Riga International School of Economics ✓ Joined BETBY: 2019 ✓ Favourite Sport: Competitive Powerlifting

From a 15-person start-up to more than 300 employees, Eva Berkova has helped build BETBY’s operational core. Decisive, and curious, she’s relentless in scaling products & teams

When Eva Berkova joined BETBY in late 2019, the company was barely a year old. Talented, ambitious, and a little chaotic — just as she expected. “I knew it would be messy,” she says. That suited her. Building from scratch meant shaping something that could last. “My first move was to put in a skeleton: the right people in the right seats, clear ownership, and simple operational frameworks.” Like her favourite sport of powerlifting, she adds, “you train the core before lifting heavy, and once the core is strong, you can scale safely.” Eva first heard about a small team building what they hoped would become one of the best sportsbooks in the world. It was exactly the kind of challenge that drew her in. “I joined because I wanted to be around great minds solving hard problems,” Eva recalls. Six years later, that 15-person start-up has grown to more than 300. She didn’t come from betting, but she understood tech and operations, and the rest she learned fast, “because I had to.” ‘ My first move was to put in a skeleton: the right people in the right seats, clear ownership, and simple operational frameworks ’ A natural, and educated love for finance has helped her journey to one of the best B2B COO’s in the business. “Understanding P&L, risk-management, and distributions makes you calm when numbers move around,” she says. “But I’d say the most valuable skill came outside school: curiosity about how systems really work. At 15 I was a bartender and kept sneaking into the kitchen to see how the whole back-of-house ran. That mindset never left me: investigate, map the system, then improve it.”

#RunTheWorld

This mindset applies to people and culture as much as to process. Eva is clear-eyed about the realities women still face in the industry. Sexism hasn’t disappeared, and not just in iGaming. Some corners remain chauvinistic, but posture counts: knowledge, composure and firm boundaries can shift the tone of any room. Her message to women through CRO,rising Trustly the ranks is direct: be fearless, speak up, and surround yourself with people who push you higher. Real progress, she says, isn’t a slogan; it’s women in decision seats, shaping stronger products and better operations. BetBy.com/Sportsbook

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Pictured: BlueOcean boys! At the 15th anniversary, Dejan Jov, CEO, (left) with Borut Lozej, Founder

Pictured: BETBY Chief Operations Officer, Eva Berkova speaks with Magnus Carlsen, BETBY global brand ambassador, the highest-rated chess player in history

BETBY bets on Reliability, Regulation, E-Sports to scale BETBY now covers over 500,000 events per month across more than 125 sports, and recent surges in activity demanded fresh operational responses. With increases of up to 65% in bets and 20% more active players in parts of 2025, scaling without fragility has become a defining challenge for the supplier. BETBY’s response is a disciplined focus on platform performance. “That means watching acceptance rate and the speed and accuracy of our markets first,” Eva Berkova, BetBy’s Chief Operating Officer tells GamblingIQ. “Are we offering prices quickly and cleanly, and are they as fresh as they should be? That also includes Bet Builder and cash-out responsiveness, settlement timeliness, and API performance for partners.”

Monitor - Prep - Cut - Fix

Monitoring the right metrics, Eva argues, reduces noise and helps prioritise fixes that matter in real time. Those playbooks were hard-won. “We’ve had learning moments over the years, and the permanent fix has been preparation while strengthening the small weak points: capacity planning ahead of peak calendars, clear kill-switches, and reacting fast when something looks off. The result is that we go into big days calm, because the playbook’s ready,” she says. Practically this has meant stricter capacity forecasts, automated isolation for troubled feeds and pre-defined esca-

lation routes for partners — standard engineering hygiene that operators increasingly insist suppliers demonstrate.

E-Sports/e-sim Innovation Esports and BETBY’s proprietary e-sim feed, Betby.Games, underscore the operational complexity the company now handles. “Esports is growing a lot, and you can see it in the numbers. Among the top five sports by generated GGR across our partner network, usually two are esports titles, most often Counter-Strike and FIFA,” Berkova notes. Yet regulators initially struggled to classify the product. “When we first launched the product, it was so new that regulators initially struggled to classify Betby Games. It wasn’t based on RNG, but it also wasn’t a traditional esport feed, so we were in uncharted territory.” Certification work has forced product changes in the company. Preparing for Brazil’s GLI standard, Berkova says: “We ran a gap audit across policies, procedures, and product functionality, amended information-security and operational policies, and created implementation tasks for the engineering teams where needed.” The company rebuilt parts of the betslip, tightened content monitoring and codified cancellation workflows — moves that have ongoing compliance costs and require continuous governance. Risk control

has also been a focus as BETBY scales thin-edge products. “We run low-margin events for volume and engagement, so margins are intentionally tight. The practical effect is that sharp bettors show up more, which means more work for the Risk Management team.” To protect margins without degrading UX, the firm uses “dynamic liability caps, sharper monitoring, and escalation paths, while keeping the UX unchanged for normal users.” Artificial Intelligence is a double-edged sword: enabling sharper detection while posing integration challenges. “The hardest part wasn’t ‘one tool,’ it was choosing the right directions for impact and then adapting standard machine learning ideas to a betting context,” Berkova says. The firm validated models with senior risk managers and iterated via A/B testing. “Accuracy started around 92%, then recently improved to 99.99% in the top 15% most-risky category.” Facing squeezed margins and heavier regulation, BETBY applies a conservative commercial test. “The ‘lesser evil’ test for us is simple: will this keep partners stable and competitive long-term?”. With taxes and operator pressure compressing returns, her preference is for predictable economics and reliable feeds rather than aggressive pricing gambits that may not survive regulatory or market shocks. www.BetBy.com #RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk GamblingIQ.co.uk

+ Charlotte Lecomte, (pictured),

is one of the key minds behind Alea’s rise. As Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, she has not only led the company’s shift from B2C to B2B , but also shaped one of the most operator-focused aggregation platforms in the market today.

Charlotte Lecomte Alea’s

#RunTheWorld #RunTheWorld

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

The Quiet Force

Responsible

Alex Tomic Founder Alea

Powering Alea’s Global Growth Fennica

Charlotte Lecomte met Alex Tomic the way many enduring partnerships begin, by chance, amid the hum and chatter of a bustling co-working space. She was an intern, more given to conversation than to code - “I was a very lazy intern,” she laughs, and Alex was a colleague who liked to talk about games and building things. When her internship ended, he mentioned he needed developers for his new affiliate gambling business; they stayed in touch, and “a few months later they hired me” full time. That offhand hire became the start of an almost 15-year collaboration, one that would eventually lead them to co-found Alea, the leading aggregator business they run today. You could call their partnership a corporate yin and yang: Alex the storyteller, Charlotte the engineer who turns that story into something real. Born in the south of France — “not exactly Marseille, but quite close” — she studied computer science in Paris, then fell into the gambling industry almost by accident. But in truth, she had been a gamer long before she was a coder. Her mother, a computer scientist and COBOL database administrator, always had machines in the house, which meant Charlotte was always playing on them. That early start turned into something like a lifelong creative obsession: role-playing vast, intricate worlds in her teens, management titles as she grew older. Games weren’t just entertainment; they became her primary lens on how systems, people, and choices interact.

Re-imagining Platform Aggregation The early years with Alex’s affiliate business exposed her to the commercial mechanics behind player acquisition and retention. When Alea later launched as a B2C casino operation, Charlotte spent nearly a decade on the frontlines, managing products in both regulated and international markets. That experience shaped her conviction that operators don’t need another platform. What they need is control without complexity, delivered with quality, stability, and security. So when Alea made the pivotal decision to evolve into a dedicated B2B platform aggregator, Charlotte defined the product philosophy that underpins today’s offering: “In many ways, the blueprint already existed, not as code, but as insight,” she says. “Years of observing, iterating, and solving practical problems had defined what a new kind of aggregator should look like. Scalable and rooted in operational reality.” Under her leadership as Chief Product Officer, Alea has scaled its Games Aggregator from a niche offering into a platform with global reach. Her fingerprints are everywhere: in the way the APIs are documented, in the governance model that powers tens of thousands of transactions per second, and in how the team ships new features without disrupting operator workflows. Today her game of choice is RimWorld, the survival management title where she’s building colonies, managing resources, and keeping her people alive. “What I love is that your pawns, these in-game characters, all have their own personalities. Sometimes they don’t obey. They don’t do what you want,” she smiles. “That makes it very much like reality.” For Charlotte, both games and business share the same truth: no matter how well you plan, the outcome depends on people. And that, as much as any line of code, is what defines Alea’s growth story. www.alea.com

Pioneer Timeline Reuter

2012, Alea is Founded

Alea lays the groundwork for both the B2C casino brands and the later B2B pivot.

2014, SlotsMillion, B2C

SlotsMillion becomes the base for rapid content expansion and operating know-how they later channel into B2B.

2015, First VR Casino

Cements Alea’s reputation for product innovation and gives the team deep technical + UX they’d reuse in platform work.

2017, Alea Play Launch

Alea launches its game aggregation platform, shifting from purely B2C to a B2B-led strategy that Lecomte goes on to helm as product chief.

2021, New API Governance

The launch of robust API governance cements the company’s full shift from B2C to B2B, with innovation and security at its core.

2024/25 Best Globally

The company wins several global awards and is named the leading secure games aggregator.

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 Platforms & Aggregators

Gifted Minds Smart Solutions

Top 7 to watch in Platforms for ’26

Eva Berkova

Chief Operations Officer

BETBY

GamblingIQ Comment: Eva has transformed a 15-person start-up into a global sportsbook powerhouse of more than 300 employees. With a finance background and a powerlifter’s discipline, she builds strong operational frameworks before scaling. Her hands-on leadership and curiosity for systems underpin BETBY’s culture of reliability and innovation. She has championed efficiency, automation, and market expansion while mentoring teams through rapid growth. Known for blending analytical rigour with practical empathy, she continues to define BETBY’s identity as one of iGaming’s most resilient and agile suppliers.

EVA Berkova BETBY

#RunTheWorld

“

At 15 I was a bartender and kept sneaking into the kitchen to see how the whole back-of-house ran. That mindset never left me: investigate, map the system, then improve it.

#Magnificent7/Platforms

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Charlotte Lecomte

Tatyana Kaminskaya Head of Game Aggregation SOFTSWISS

Chief Product Officer iGaming Digitain

Charlotte has shaped Alea’s platform around speed, transparency, and unshakable trust. In partnership with Alex Tomic, she’s built an engine tuned for millisecond latency and regulator-grade reliability, proof that compliance and innovation can thrive side by side. Her vision turns complex architecture into effortless confidence, redefining what seamless means in gaming. Under her direction, Alea is no longer just a curator of games, but a benchmark for integrity and global performance.

She has built the firm’s Game Aggregator into a reliability-first platform delivering 24/7 client support and advanced tools like the Tournament Tool to boost engagement and GGR. Overseeing five departments and around eighty specialists, she drives automation, certification readiness, and streamlined provider onboarding. Her focus on uptime, reconciliation accuracy, regulatory compliance has strengthened the SOFTSWISS global reach.

With over two decades of IT experience, including more than 10 years in the iGaming industry, Mary Ann holds a Bachelor’s from the University of London and an MBA from Henley Business School. She combines academic insight with practical experience, leading Digitain’s global product strategy with a focus on innovation, scalability, and player-centric solutions, playing a key role in advancing growth and driving AI next-gen development.

Founder, Chief Product Officer Alea

Mary Ann Calleja

Nana Totoe

Alina Alexandru

Elena Ostapenko

From Head of Technical Account Management to COO, Nanahas been central to Sportingtech’s rise as a multi-award-winning platform. A Chemical Engineering grad with accolades from Sports Leader to Mathematics, she combines precision with leadership. Under her direction, Sportingtech earned ISO 27001 certification, expanded across LATAM and secured awards for top Platform Provider & Multi-Channel Supplier.

Alina oversees group operations and technology, steering the supplier’s modular platform strategy from the Bucharest, Romania hub. She joined in 2012 and rose from Integration Manager to GamMatrix CEO, Head of Delivery and Chief Technology Officer before becoming Group COO. An advocate of modular architectures, she champions operator customisation, uptime and auditability while leading cross-functional teams.

Elena was formerly the R&D Director at mobile gaming leader Playtika and her career has been marked by a relentless pursuit of innovation in gaming. Previously, Elena was Head of Sport at GR8 Tech and is now over a year in the role as Head of Platform, where she drives largescale architecture projects, streamlines delivery pipelines, and mentors cross-functional engineering teams to enhance reliability, scalability, and product performance. across global markets.

Chief Operating Officer Sportingtech

Chief Operating Officer EveryMatrix

Head of Platform GR8 Tech

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 Legal, Compliance & Responsible Gambling

Smart Governance Better Gaming

Top 7 to watch in RG, Legal & Compliance

Olabimpe Akingba

Head of Responsible Gaming pawaTech GamblingIQ Comment:

Olabimpe pawaTech

Akingba

Head of Responsible Gaming at pawaTech, Olabimpe oversees player protection, compliance strategy and regulatory engagement across multiple African markets. A lawyer by training, she began her career in legal practice before becoming the first in-house counsel at a Nigerian sports-betting operator, building its legal and compliance function from the ground up. She later served as Executive Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers, where she played a central role in industry– regulator dialogue, led national AML/ CFT training initiatives and helped resolve landmark policy disputes affecting market competition. At pawaTech, she has driven the introduction of psychologist-led responsible gaming training for customer support teams and developed market-specific compliance frameworks aligned with local realities. She is also a co-founder of the Women in Nigeria Gaming Community and an advocate for culturally grounded regulation in Africa.

“

Effective relationship management across regulatory bodies, operators, and other stakeholders is a vital principle. The ability to build and maintain strong relationships fosters collaboration and drives positive outcomes.

#RunTheWorld

#Magnificent7/Legal&Compliance

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Hannah Kennish

Oana‑Adina Rusu Head of Group Regulatory Compliance Greentube GmbH

Senior Director Regulatory Compliance IGT | Everi Holdings

Former Governance & Deputy Company Secretary at Playtech and now leading Group Regulatory Compliance at Allwyn, Hannah brings cross-jurisdictional clarity, policy design and programme leadership to the lottery group, shaping governance frameworks that enable rapid market expansion while ensuring consumer protection and operational control — a steadying, strategic force for a global operator, advancing structured training and compliance excellence.

Based in Vienna, Austria with the Novomatic Group owned Greentube, Oana provides oversight of licensing, AML/compliance, and multi-jurisdiction regulatory adherence across Greentube’s platforms. She was recently shortlisted for the 2023 Global Regulatory Awards Rising Star Special Award, she manages compliance programs, coordinates audits, and upholds governance across European and international markets, reinforcing regulatory confidence.

Would have gained invaluable insights from the recent IGT/Everi merger/acquisition. Having advanced through licensing and AML/ compliance roles to senior regulatory positions at Everi, Marissa delivers operational rigor, transaction oversight, and licensing expertise. Recently recognised in industry emerging-leaders coverage, she drives the implementation of robust controls across complex U.S. and international markets, strengthening governance and risk.

Group Head of Lotteries & Gaming Regulatory Compliance Allwyn

Marissa Wheeler

Cassie Stratford

Andronic Felicia Director of Legal Playson

Attorney At Law McDonald Carano

Cassie has advanced from Associate General Counsel to Senior Vice President of Legal Operations & Compliance at Boyd Gaming, where she manages licensing, regulatory compliance, litigation and marketing compliance. A graduate of the University of Nevada, and UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, she began her career at Snell & Wilmer before joining Boyd Gaming in 2012. As a former president of Global Gaming Women, she has championed industry education and women in leadership.

Former Evolution compliance expert, she was recently promoted to Head of Gaming at Playson. Hugely experienced having previously been involved with EveryMatrix, Unibet and Casumo, Felicia now oversees licensing, regulatory compliance, and legal strategy, working closely with product and commercial teams to support regulated market expansion. Her work strengthens the legal foundations that enable Playson’s game portfolio to scale consistently while maintaining strong regulatory standing and long-term growth.

Kelci is focussed on licensing, compliance, and transactions and serves on the Executive Committee of the Nevada State Bar Gaming Law Section, advises Global Gaming Women, and leads a Mentorship Circle. She is the only gaming law attorney included in the list of The Future Leaders of the Law published by Lawdragon 500X: The Next Generation. Kelci’s leadership in her law firm includes serving as Vice Chair of the Associates’ Committee and Vice-Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Senior Vice President Legal Operations & Compliance Boyd Gaming

Kelci Binau

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

OLABIMPE AKINGBA, PAWATECH

African Solutions over global templates

“quiresI strongly believe that Africa resolutions tailored to its cultural

realities, not copy-and-paste models from more mature markets. My leadership is therefore anchored in collaboration - regulators, operators, communities, civil society, and customers all have a role in building a safer ecosystem. When stakeholders align with sincerity of purpose, sustainable gaming becomes achievable: an industry that protects players, strengthens public trust, and Andreeva, keeps operators in business. - Vesselina COO, Amusnet, is the drivingbalance force behind company’s expansion That is thethe core of my leaderacrossphilosophy 35+ regulated and markets, 300 slot games, ship thewith impact I strive featured on over 2,000 operator sites, with strateto deliver across the continent. gic innovation and people-first culture featuring over 800 professionals in offices and studios

-around pawaTech’s Head of Responsible Gambling the world.

is helping to drive the company’s expansion across diverse African markets

From Courtroom to Industry Regulation Olabimpe Akingba, head of responsible gaming at PawaTech, grew up in Ilesha, Osun State in the South-Western region of Nigeria. Raised in a modest household that prized education, she absorbed an ethic of hard work and resilience. She began studying philosophy before switching to law, practising as an attorney for three years and briefly imagining a judicial career. Corporate legal roles and regulatory advocacy redirected her into the gaming sector where legal training now informs policy engagement and constructive dialogue with regulators. Her combination of legal rigour and pragmatic listening positions her to shape regulation that balances consumer protection with sustainable commercial growth. “I imagined myself becoming a judge one day, cloaked in the dignity of the bench and standing in the gap for the vulnerable,” Olabimpe tells GamblingIQ. “I did indeed finish my law education, was called to the Nigerian bar and practiced as an attorney for about 3 years. What I did not foresee was that the skills, discipline, and values that shaped that ambition would eventually lead me somewhere entirely different - corporate law, then into gaming, and ultimately into regulatory advocacy across Africa.”

Principled

Leadership

KYC standoff yields lessons on defusing regulatory risk through dialogue in emerging African markets

Betting boom outpaced regulation, forcing operators to build governance frameworks

As executive secretary of the Association of Nigerian Bookmakers, Olabimpe faced a defining test when a regulator proposed channeling all KYC verification through a single provider. The move threatened competition, innovation and long-term market health. “My first instinct was an aggressive legal challenge, but I abandoned a combative stance in favour of listening,” she says. By unpacking officials’ fears over identity fraud and offering evidence-based alternatives, she helped reframe the dispute around shared objectives. Trust followed, and the directive was suspended within weeks. For her, the episode ultimately proved that “patient dialogue, not legal brinkmanship, is the strongest defence against regulatory risk.”

As the first in-house lawyer at a Nigerian sports-betting operator, newly appointed counsel Olabimpe built a legal and compliance function from scratch: drafting contract templates, creating documentation systems and representing the business before regulators. She encountered an industry misunderstood by the public, where retail still dominated even as digital channels expanded rapidly. That mismatch between innovation and oversight convinced industry participants that early governance and institutional design were essential to convert technological progress into durable market structures. Proactive compliance leadership and “principled voices”, she argues, prevents retroactive rule-making that often freezes innovation and favours entrenched incumbents over emerging competitive entrants across African markets.

Tax hikes and AML crackdowns force African gaming operators to rethink compliance Regulatory tightening, higher taxation and stricter anti-money-laundering obligations represent the principal near-term risks for gaming operators across Africa. “To mitigate these threats, companies should develop adaptable compliance architectures, invest in continuous staff training and convene pilot forums with regulators to trial locally relevant solutions,” Olabimpe says. Recent practical measures include national AML/CFT programmes delivered with financial intelligence units and psychologist-led responsible-gaming sessions for frontline support teams. A mentorship initiative targeting women in the sector seeks to broaden leadership pipelines and strengthen industry resilience. Operators that embrace locally tailored policy design and proactive engagement will be placed to sustain growth and legitimacy.

+ Olabimpe Akingba says that demonstrating adaptability and a growth mindset in the African markets is paramount.

#RunTheWorld

Responsible gaming training courses for customer support teams: “The sessions, co-facilitated by clinical psychologists and behavioural health specialists, focused on empathy, intervention techniques, and accurate referral pathways for players who may need counselling. ”

GAMBLINGIQ

The Responsible Voice of Africa

“

Beyond regulatory compliance, I am deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and empowering women within the gaming industry. As a co-founder of the Women in Nigeria Gaming Community, we have designed a mentorship model and leadership development initiative specifically tailored to empower women in the gaming sector. We are on the cusp of launching this program and I am confident this initiative will have a transformative impact, both on the individual lives of participants and on the broader gaming landscape.

PawaTech doubles down on sports betting and compliance as African regulation tightens PawaTech is the technology and licensing group behind the popular betPawa, one of Africa’s largest sports-led betting brands by user volume. The company operates in more than 10 African markets, with its strongest presence concentrated in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Cameroon, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nigeria and Ghana are understood to be its two largest markets by turnover and active users. The group’s core product remains sports betting, with football accounting for the majority of staking. betPawa built scale through low minimum bets, mass-market odds and retail-friendly UX, a strategy designed for markets where cash play and mobile wallets dominate. Casino is present but not the primary revenue driver, typically offered via third-party integrations rather than proprietary games. Slots and virtuals exist, but they support retention rather than lead acquisition. As regulatory scrutiny intensifies across Africa, pawaTech has invested heavily in internal governance. The company’s Head of Responsible Gaming, Olabimpe Akingba, who has a background in Nigerian regulatory advocacy, informs the group’s dialogue-first approach with regulators. The company has rolled out psychologist-led responsible-gaming programmes for customer support teams and market-specific compliance frameworks rather than template imports. Olabimpe believes this strategy reflects a belief that sports betting dominance in Africa makes player protection and AML controls commercially material, not cosmetic. As tax pressure and licensing complexity increase, Olabimpe is betting that operational discipline — not rapid product expansion — will determine who survives the next regulatory cycle.

+ Pictured, pawaTech’s Head of Responsible Gambling, Olabimpe Akingba

www.Pawatech.com

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 PR & Marketing

Where Strategy Meets Storytelling

Top 7 to watch in PR & Marketing in ’26

Dearbhla Purcell

Director of Marketing & Events Games Global

GamblingIQ Comment: Another one of Ireland’s fiercely talented iGaming executives, Dearbhla Purcell is an industry recognised marketing leader driving a commercially focused brand, digital, and experiential strategy across Games Global’s portfolio. Overseeing multiple studio and game brands - including global hit franchises Gold Blitz and Thunderstruck - she places product at the centre of every activation. Her signature work spans Nashville’s entertainment-rich hosting experiences, Monaco’s Formula G spectacle, and immersive Immortal Venetian Island takeover, all crafted to deliver measurable impact. Working closely with commercial and C-suite teams, Dearbhla builds programmes that strengthen partnerships and accelerate growth.

Dearbhla Purcell Games Global

#RunTheWorld

“

Creativity is only powerful when it delivers. My quantity surveying roots keep me commercially focused, but it’s our global network of agencies that enables scale turning brave ideas into world-class experiences that elevate our product and drive meaningful return for the business.

#Magnificent7/PR&Marketing

GAMBLINGIQ

Sharon McHugh

Märit von Stedingk

Amy Riches

Director of Public Relations Pragmatic Play

Head of PR & Communications Alea

Head of Marketing Evolution

Renowned in B2C comms, Sharon began her career with Paddy Power before going on to lead PR & Sponsorship for leading operator BoyleSports. With more than 18 years of Public Relations experience, including senior roles at top-tier brands such as Virgin Media Television, Sky and Three, she is now carving out a new B2B career as Director of Public Relations at Pragmatic Play. At Pragmatic, Sharon leads global media relations and corporate communications, supporting brand positioning and international visibility, while playing a key role in strengthening Pragmatic Play’s reputation worldwide.

Versatile is the word. Equally at ease in B2C and B2B, Märit brings 20 years of gaming experience and pairs editorial sharpness with production expertise. She has helped fuel Alea’s strong performance during a year that saw the team expand, a second office open, and Alea celebrate its five-year milestone. She leads PR, media partnerships, social content, and the fast-growing Under Pressure podcast with co-founder Alex Tomic, which now attracts tens of thousands of views and has strengthened Alea’s corporate voice in regulated markets.

Hugely experienced, Amy has driven marketing at Evolution for 12 and a half years. As the company’s press contact she leads product launches, partnerships and global launch campaigns, representing the company at major industry events. She focuses on positioning live content, building operator and player engagement, and amplifying studio launches across markets. She ensures Evolution’s innovative portfolio reaches operators and players with consistent messaging and measuring campaign performance across regions.

Tashina Lazcano

Lucie Kadlecová

MAGNIFICENT 7/PR & MARKETING

Issue 11

Sarah Hays

Senior Dir. Marketing & Comms Konami Gaming

Chief Marketing Officer Aviatrix

Marketing Communications Manager, IGT PlayDigital

Bringing nearly 15 years of experience in marketing, communications and public relations, including over a decade in the gaming industry, Tashina Lazcano holds an MBA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a BA from Southern Utah University. She advanced through leadership roles at Konami Gaming before becoming Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, where she drives global brand strategy, playing a key role in advancing innovation, visibility and sustained growth.

Based in Prague, Czech Republic, Lucie Kadlecová began her career in 2016 as Marketing Manager at Endorphina, where she led 360° marketing for the studio’s transition into a globally recognised supplier. She then spent nearly four years at Mancala Gaming, strengthening its commercial positioning and brand visibility. Following this, she joined new crash game sensation Aviatrix, where she now serves as Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for global brand strategy, B2B partnerships and market expansion.

Sarah has been with IGT for six and a half years and has enjoyed trailblazer mentors such as Director Global Communications, Michelle Schenk, while gaining exposure to senior leadership across the business. With a great nose for B2B news, an excellent writer, and a safe pair of hands when dealing with global online and offline content, we are tipping her for the very top. Before her role in IGT PlayDigital, she led Go-to-Market Communications for the sports betting vertical, supporting major launches. #RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

GAMBLINGIQ.CO.UK

Daria

+ Daria Fot, (pictured), is the

Director of Human Resources Development at EvenBet. She combines engineering discipline with psychological insight to shape a global, remote-first workforce. Joining in 2019 when the company had just 50 staff, she helped steer its growth past 250 employees while championing culture, communication, leadership development and greater female representation.

Fot 28

2019

Joined EvenBet during major organisational and product transformation phase and began to build a remote-first culture

#RunTheWorld #RunTheWorld

50-250

Scaled workforce significantly from 50 people to 250 while building technical background to build HR foundations

20+

Remote-first team established across more than 20 diverse global locations

40%

Senior and middle management now strongly represented by women.

GamblingIQ.co.uk

GAMBLINGIQ

Engineer-Psychologist

From 50 to 250:

Armed with two engineering degrees, along with a psychology qualification, Daria Fot blends systems thinking with deep people insight. Raised in a railway family tradition, she trained to see root causes and design processes, before returning to psychology to better understand human behaviour. Now EvenBet’s HR Director, champions regular therapy for company leaders, describing it as essential “mental hygiene” for managers. Her approach decodes non-verbal cues, reshapes leadership training, emphasises emotional intelligence and normalises seeking support across the organisation. She translates diagnostic thinking into practical HR interventions—structured feedback, tailored coaching and mental-health initiatives— that reduce stigma and improve managerial decision-making. Her advocacy extends beyond policy into culture: she promotes routine psychological check-ins, leadership therapy sessions and manager training that make wellbeing an operational priority at EvenBet. “My psychological education helps me every day to better understand people’s needs in communication, decode non-verbal signals, and see a bigger picture than just the words being said”.

Joining EvenBet in June 2019, Daria inherited fractured processes and cultural scepticism. She prioritised documented systems, onboarding frameworks and transparent development pathways to stabilise growth. A conversation with CEO Dmitry Starostenkov convinced her she could have real impact, and the pandemic soon accelerated a remote pivot that opened global talent pools and removed geographical limits. Daria focused on scalable practices— clear recruitment criteria, 3–5-year career roadmaps, mentorship and measurable evaluation cycles—that translated local HR craft into remote-first operations. She introduced regular town halls, internal rituals, online leaderboards and structured Team Days to strengthen belonging and align dispersed teams. Those pragmatic foundations helped EvenBet grow into a 250 remote business while retaining agility and a people-centred culture in fast iGaming growth.

Human Resources

Building HR in a Remote Revolution DARIA FOT, EVENBET

Issue 11

People Person

Championing Culture, Growth, and Wellbeing Across Teams

Retention by Listening

Remote Risks & Diversity

Daria insists that true retention happens before an employee has decided to leave: “It’s almost impossible to keep someone once they have firmly decided to leave. You can only truly ‘save’ them before they reach that decision; once it’s made, you can rarely do more than delay their exit by six months or a year.” She shared examples where timely listening and facilitation produced results and tells the story of how she mediated a conflict between a team leader and their manager, brought the issue into the open, and ensured both discussed their differences. In the end, they both stayed.

There are two imminent challenges for a remote-first company scaling fast according to Daria Fot: “For a remote-first company, the biggest risk is growing so fast that it becomes impossible to control the remote infrastructure,” she says. She also highlights AI misuse in hiring: “What worries me the most is the growing use of AI by candidates. I’m not talking about improving their CVs, but about borderline fraudulent cases: deepfakes, people attending interviews for someone else, passing tests online with heavy AI help, and so on. We may face situations where we hire a completely different person from the one we ‘met’ during the interviews.”

Mentorship & why Soft Skills matter

When two programmers felt undervalued, Daria personally created a framework “for them to show that their ambitions were justified and based on their actual skills.” Today, one manages a department, and the other is a team leader.

Every hire receives a 3–5 year development plan, with transparent communication, cultural fit, soft skills, structured growth, mentorship, and compensated training prioritised. 360-degree evaluations keep progress visible to leadership.

Driving Latam Growth

At the same time, Daria welcomes generational change, noting younger employees value work-life balance and purpose. To prevent burnout, she implements manager training, regular one-to-ones, psychologist-led sessions, mental-health days, and sabbaticals. Diversity remains a priority: “Over 40% of senior and middle management positions at EvenBet Gaming are now filled by women,” grown internally, with equal opportunity policies ensuring credible leadership pathways as the company evolves.

https://evenbetgaming.com/

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 People Development

Shaping People Driving Performance

Top 7 to watch in People Development

Daria Fot

Director Human Resources Development EvenBet Gaming

GamblingIQ Comment: Daria has propelled her career by blending technical discipline with a distinctive, people-first HR vision grounded in clarity, empathy, and strategic foresight. At EvenBet Gaming she leads global people strategy, championing the company’s remote-first working policy while scaling teams across nearly twenty countries, driving eNPS above 60% and reducing first-year turnover to 11.9%. With more than a decade of experience and an engineering background from Omsk State Transport University, she rose from early HR roles to HR Director, shaping values, mentoring, and career tracks for a distributed workforce. A respected voice on diversity, wellbeing, and cross-industry hiring, she introduced programmes that strengthen trust, performance, and long-term organisational growth, supporting EvenBet’s continued expansion.

Daria Fot EvenBet

#RunTheWorld

“

My psychological education helps me every day to better understand people’s needs in communication, decode non-verbal signals, and see a bigger picture than just the words being said.

#Magnificent7/PeopleDevelopment

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Christine Roy

Marília Pereira

Emma Martin

Senior Director, Global HR Draft Kings

HR Business Partner (Technology) Bally’s Interactive

Senionr HR Business Partner Flutter Entertainment

Christine Roy is Senior Director, Global HR Business Partnership at DraftKings, leading human resources strategy and HR business partnering for the global organisation. She has progressed through several HR leadership roles within DraftKings since 2018, after earlier experience as Human Resources Manager at Hill Holliday and HR roles at Robert Half International. Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law from Boston University, working closely with business units across international operations.

Well regarded in the industry for shaping people and culture across Bally’s Interactive Tech Operations, Marilia is an award-winning HR leader recognised as the 2025 Women in Gaming HR Champion for her impact on organisational culture and people leadership. She aligns recruitment and talent dev to support organisational growth, while advocating for employee wellbeing, playing an active role in Bally’s GLOW Network, supporting empowerment initiatives including Bally’s menopause programme.

Building her career across HR management and people partnering, Emma Martin has been with Flutter Entertainment since 2018, supporting people operations. Prior to joining Flutter, she held HR managerial positions at KPMG Malta and gained experience in recruitment and functions at Muovo and within legal services. She currently serves as Senior HR Business Partner at Flutter Entertainment within a regulated environment, supporting organisational stability and workforce development initiatives.

Tamara Klibadze

Gelly Marazioti

HR Director Betsson Georgia

Building on prior HR leadership experience within Georgia’s corporate sector, Tamara Klibadze leads people strategy as HR Director at Betsson Georgia, overseeing talent development, workforce planning and employee engagement in a regulated gaming environment — aligning organisational capability with business growth while strengthening culture, retention and operational continuity for a major international operator, across fast-growing regional teams, evolving regulatory frameworks, and talent markets.

Jamie Marwood

Global Head of Talent OpenBet

Head of Group Talent Acquisition La Française des Jeux (FDJ)

Gelly leads global talent-acquisition and people-development strategy at OpenBet, overseeing recruitment and hiring across multiple markets as the company expands globally. Previously, as Talent Acquisition & Development Manager at Novibet, she managed high-volume hiring and workforce scaling. At OpenBet she also coordinates strategic hiring for new initiatives, such as the company’s recently launched AI Centre of Excellence, reflecting her role in shaping workforce evolution aligned with tech innovation.

Focused on building scalable international hiring capability, Jamie Marwood serves as Head of Group Talent Acquisition at FDJ, overseeing recruitment strategy and delivery across the organisation. She brings senior talent acquisition experience from Kindred Group, where she worked across multi-market hiring programmes. In her current role, Marwood focuses on consistent recruitment frameworks, candidate experience standards, workforce planning aligned with FDJ’s objectives.

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 Live Casino

Real Action Smarter Play

Top 7 to watch in Live Casino ‘26

Varduhi Papyan

Head of Account Management

Creedroomz

GamblingIQ Comment: Varduhi Papyan brings more than 16 years experience in partner development and account management to her role as Head of Account Management at Creedroomz. Her career has been shaped within fast-moving commercial environments, with iGaming standing out for its pace, innovation and sustained growth. At Creedroomz, she plays a key role in managing partner relationships and supporting business expansion within a highly competitive market. Her position reflects the broader momentum of the sector, where opportunity, creativity and scale continue to converge, driving both commercial performance and professional advancement.

Creedroomz

Varduhi Papyan

#RunTheWorld

“

In iGaming, your impact isn’t defined by gender — it’s defined by passion, skill, and drive. Being a woman here isn’t an exception; it’s simply part of shaping the future of the industry.

#Magnificent7/LiveCasino

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Chelly Anne Cassar

Micol Mongioví

Orlagh Codd

Live Casino Manager Betsson Group

Director of Live Casino Strategy ARRISE, powering Pragmatic Play

Senior Account Manager Eeze

Operating at the intersection of strategy, performance and player experience, Chelly Anne brings operator-level leadership to Live Casino at Betsson, shaping studio expansion, table mix, localisation, compliance and outcomes across multiple regulated markets; a data-led, execution-focused approach that has delivered measurable business value and positions her impact confidently alongside, and in some areas above, supplier-led peers.

Now almost three years in the job as Director of Live Casino Strategy at ARRISE, powering Pragmatic Play, Micol is well known in the B2B industry as a leader in Live Casino. She spent seven years at Evolution before moving to Pragmatic Play and into ARRISE, which has 10,000+ professionals across 14 locations worldwide. The company was recently named as a ‘Great Place to Work’ at the Women in Gaming Diversity Awards 2025.

She recently kicked off her new role as Senior Account Manager at Eeze, the international B2B Live Casino provider who now has over 500 employees from all over Europe. A true live casino expert, Orlagh held leading roles at Light & Wonder Live for almost 8 years. Another one of the Irish in Malta, she holds an Honors Degree in Business from Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, along with a Bachelor of Science in Retail Management.

Ieva Coventry

Monika Makaryan

Anastasija Safarevica

Senior Commercial Manager Live and Table Games Hard Rock Digital

Gaming Operations Team Manager Evolution

Business Development Manager SA Gaming

Ieva has previously held roles as live dealer and pitboss at Evolution, followed by an almost 7 year run at LeoVegas Group, where she went from from Junior Live Casino Manager to Head of Live Casino at the company. She now enjoys the role of Senior Commercial Manager, Live and Table Games at Hard Rock Digital. Results-oriented, she has extensive experience in managing multi-brand operations, driving profitability, and enhancing player experience through Live Casino product across regulated markets.

Focused on Live Casino operations at Evolution, Monika Makaryan works across studio performance, dealer operations and KPI-led optimisation. From the hotbed of live casino and gaming in Armenia, she oversees the live delivery at scale across multiple environments with one of the industry’s leading Live Casino suppliers. A data-driven, execution-focused executive, her role reinforces operational consistency, efficiency and player experience through disciplined process control and day-to-day operations.

Anastasija’s focus is on expanding SA Gaming’s presence across regulated and emerging markets, building strong partnerships with operators, platforms, and aggregators. Former SoftGamings and Tom Horn account manager, she now brings her experience to SA, which is probably best known for its award-winning live dealer studio and innovative approach to online entertainment. With a global reputation for quality, integrity, and cutting-edge technology, the company continues to shape the future of live casino.

#RunTheWorld

Sexism in Gambling 34

Survey Asked:

“

Is sexism gone? Not yet. Will it disappear? Likely, if the iGaming sector follows the same arc seen elsewhere: slow, sometimes grudging change pushed along by rules, resigned budgets and shifting public taste

Have you experienced sexism (e.g., gender bias, harassment, unequal treatment) in the past 2 years in the gambling industry?

+ Over a third of women in iGaming say

they've personally experienced sexism or unequal treatment in the past two years — proof the issue hasn't disappeared, even as DEl reporting is improving year on year.

+ All ‘no comment’ responses

came via company intervention

+ DEI reporting is the systematic

disclosure of diversity, equity and inclusion metrics, such as workforce demographics, pay equity results and inclusion surveys.

- GamblingIQ magazine surveyed 100 women, off-the-record, from across the global iGaming sector in October–November 2025 *

IQ COMMENT Sexism in gambling is alive, but it’s not kicking. GamblingIQ’s survey shows some uncomfortable truths: more than a third of women report unequal treatment, and promotional sexism still rustles at the edges of events and marketing. Yet there is every reason to think these practices will fade rather than fossilise. History offers a quiet reassurance. Industries that once normalised sexism — advertising, motoring shows, even parts of retail and finance — did not reform overnight, but commercial logic, consumer backlash and regulation eventually made certain behaviours untenable. When

#RunTheWorld

customers and corporate buyers began to demand credibility over kitsch, and when careers and reputations were put at stake, the old stunts lost their commercial cover. In short: the market eats bad optics. Today, stronger regulation (pay-transparency laws), louder employee voices, and visible women in decision-making roles combine to make tokenism riskier. and less profitable. Employers that tolerate sexism will increasingly find themselves on the wrong side of clients, investors and recruits. And the industry’s own talent needs, (tech,

product and leadership roles), are already rewarding competence over choreography. Is sexism gone? Not yet. Will it disappear? Likely, if the iGaming sector follows the same arc seen elsewhere: slow, sometimes grudging change pushed along by rules, resigned PR budgets and shifting public taste.

* Survey questions were sent via email, phone and LinkedIn. Responses were collected confidentially and reported only in aggregate.

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Survey Asked: Do you believe hiring female models or promotional staff based primarily on appearance and wearing sexualised outfits is appropriate at iGaming events?

+ Nearly three-quarters of people surveyed say

SEXISM DEBATE

hiring women for promotional roles based on appearance crosses a line, reflecting a clear shift in expectations for professionalism at industry events.

Survey Asked: Do you think using adult models and pornstars to promote iGaming brands is acceptable marketing/advertising in the iGaming industry or a step too far? + Most respondents believe using adult models and pornstars in marketing harms the industry's credibility, though a small minority argue it's simply a reflection of where some of the audience is.

GamblingIQ.co.uk

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

MAGNIFICENT 7 Affiliates

Trusted Partners Lasting Growth

Top 7 to watch in Affiliates ‘26

Anastasiia Shcherbyna Chief Marketing Officer MelBet Partners

GamblingIQ Comment:

MELBET

Anastasiia Shcherbyna

#RunTheWorld

Building her career within affiliate marketing, Anastasiia Shcherbyna has progressed from partner-facing roles into senior marketing leadership within global iGaming programmes. She brings seven years experience across affiliate marketing and iGaming, with a background in affiliate operations, programme growth and brand development. She currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Melbet Partners & Affiliates, leading marketing direction across affiliate strategy, brand communications and programme visibility, including strategic rebranding, international expansion and the development of scalable affiliate ecosystems across multiple markets.

“

My mission is to build a strong, recognisable brand and an affiliate infrastructure that’s ready for the future of iGaming.

#Magnificent7/Affiliates

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Ksenia Vasilevskaya

Rachael Ahern

Kristina Shkredova

Kseniya Vasileuskaya is affiliate team lead at Royal Partners, overseeing strategy within a fast-growing iGaming affiliate group. She has outlined the company’s focus on compliance-led growth, AI-driven personalisation and robust fraud prevention. Her work supports Royal Partners’ direct partnership model and its strategic expansion across key European and Asian markets, while engaging affiliates at major events.excellence inside a vertically integrated operator.

Rachael’s career reflects a steady progression built on performance, regulatory awareness and trusted partner relationships. At BetMGM, she works closely with top-tier affiliates, aligning commercial growth with strict compliance standards across regulated markets. Known for her collaborative approach, Ahern is widely seen as a reliable partner and a driving force behind the strength, credibility and longterm sustainability of BetMGM’s affiliate strategy.

Kristina Shkredova is Affiliate Team Lead at Boomerang Partners and was named Best Affiliate Manager 2025 by the well-regarded expert jury of the AskGamblers Awards. In her role, she has driven significant performance gains, including a 194% increase in sports traffic, while building and sustaining longterm affiliate partnerships. Known for combining strategic clarity with collaborative leadership, Kristina plays a central role in shaping Boomerang Partners’ affiliate growth.

Affiliate Team Lead Royal Partners

Affiliate Manager BetMGM

Margarita Ershova

Yulia R.

Affiliate Team Lead Boomerang Parnters

Tatiana Ryzhova

Affiliate Team Lead PIN-UP Partners

Affiliate Manager 1win Partners

Head of Brand Marketing N1 Partners

With professional experience spanning digital marketing and iGaming, Margarita Ershova moved into affiliate leadership through operational and partner-facing roles. At PIN-UP Partners, she progressed into team leadership, overseeing affiliate programme delivery and partner coordination. Her work supports the expansion of an established international affiliate programme tied to a betting brand, reflecting sustained contribution to structured operations over campaign execution globally.

Yulia developed her career in affiliate coordination and partner management before joining 1win Partners. In her current role, she supports affiliate relationships, campaign activity and programme operations across the network. Working within one of the industry’s largest betting affiliate programmes, she contributes to consistent partner engagement that supports international acquisition and the continued growth of 1win’s global affiliate ecosystem.

Hugely experienced in the affiliate space, with over 15 years’ experience in PR and brand marketing, Tatiana brings full-stack communications expertise to N1 Partners. Her background spans 360-degree campaigns, media relations, content, SMM, events and influencer marketing. An award-winning strategist, her work has been recognised by Red Dot, and CES Innovation. She combines analytical thinking with creative leadership to support strong partner engagement and brand performance.

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A 38comprehensive, data-driven report on identity fraud trends and prevention techniques from industry experts

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GamblingIQ.co.uk

2026 Leadership Rankings

GamblingIQ.co.uk

GamblingIQ's Next Generation of Female Leaders

THE POWER 10 The GamblingIQ Power 10 is built on journalism, not juries. This year’s list of superstar leaders highlights the women already shaping global gambling; those driving the narrative, not following it.

Across these pages, you see momentum, women taking on larger remits, delivering commercial results, modernising brands and cultures. Yet the accompanying data and commentary show how uneven the landscape still is. Women continue to face barriers to promotion, bias persists, and visibility at senior levels remains inconsistent. The mood of this moment is one of both achievement and urgency. The Power 10 responds to that moment. Rather than celebrating titles for their own sake, the list identifies women whose influence is already felt in performance, reputation and direction. This is a recognition of substance, not stagecraft. If the last era rewarded novelty and noise, the next will elevate leaders capable of judgement — those who balance creativity with responsibility, pace with principles, and ambition with accountability. The top three demonstrate that shift with particular clarity. At No. 1 sits Leah Spears, the newly appointed Marketing Director at Paddy Power. Spears represents a strategic pivot for a brand long known for its gleeful mischief. Her mandate blends cultural fluency with commercial discipline: campaigns must still be bold, but they must land cleanly, resonate widely and scale responsibly. The Irish had a major headstart in the gambling industry, and they are keeping that lead intact in several markets globally. Ciara Nic Liam, Managing #RunTheWorld

Director at Entain PLC, oversees one of the largest gaming portfolios in the world. Her leadership is less about theatrics and more about steering a FTSE-100 powerhouse through shifting regulation, evolving customer behaviour and intensifying competition. And then we have Irina Cornides, COO at Pragmatic Play, who delivers a masterclass in scale with discipline. Beyond the top three, the Index lists a range of leaders shaping every corner of the ecosystem: commercial operators, platform specialists, content strategists, operational chiefs and HR innovators. Taken together, they show how leadership in gambling is diversifying — not because the industry has suddenly become egalitarian, but because performance has made these women impossible to ignore.

This is also the moment for a gentle but necessary swipe at 90% of the industry’s awards machinery. In a sector awash with trophies, self-nominations and ceremonial applause, visibility is too often mistaken for impact. The Power 10 rejects that logic. It strips away the theatrics and focuses instead on demonstrable performance and sustained contribution. The Power 10 from GamblingIQ is a research-driven selection of women whose track records show they are prepared to lead when the stakes, both regulatory and commercial, are highest. https://www.gamblingiq.co.uk/top-ten

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

01 Leah Spears

+ Leah Spears, Marketing Director, Paddypower.com

Paddy Power Newly appointed Marketing Director at Paddy Power, Leah is stepping into the role after driving some of the brand’s most memorable recent work. A creative, commercially focused marketer, she previously served as Head of Brand and then Head of Brand Strategy, where she helped sharpen Paddy Power’s irreverent tone and expand its presence beyond sport. Spears led the push into non-sports TV sponsorships, including Channel 4’s First Dates, and oversaw high-impact BBH campaigns around flagship sporting moments such as Cheltenham. With more than 20 years’ experience across PR, retail marketing and brand strategy, including senior roles at Asda — she is known for championing bold, culturally attuned ideas that support Paddy Power’s broader growth ambitions. Paddy Power itself continues to operate on one of the industry’s largest sponsorship stages, with long-standing visibility across tentpole events such as the World Darts Championship, major horse racing festivals and high-profile partnerships including its regional NFL sportsbook deal. Spears moves into her new role at a moment when the brand’s cultural footprint across sport, entertainment and mainstream media has never been broader — giving her a powerful platform for the next wave of creative work.

IQ Comment Recent performance speaks for itself. Brilliantly creative and by all reports, a great leader, Leah’s elevation signals Paddy Power’s intent to mature without losing its trademark bite. Her push into entertainment-centred sponsorships shows a brand aiming for and securing cultural relevance, not cheap shock. The challenge now is sustaining scale: turning sharp humour into dependable growth while steering clear of regulatory storm clouds. A smart, strategically timed appointment to make her marketing director. #RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

CIARA 02 Nic Liam ENTAIN

Ciara Nic Liam serves as Entain PLC’s Managing Director of Gaming, directing product, technology and operational strategy across a multi-market global portfolio. Her career sits at the intersection of product, commercial strategy and customer behaviour, delivering high-impact launches and transformation programmes. She launched Paddy Power’s first mobile casino, rebuilt William Hill’s live casino proposition and centralised Betsson’s global operations — experiences that sharpened her ability to move quickly, simplify complexity and make decisions that balance innovation with commercial reality. At Entain she oversees in-house game studios, global content and product strategy, bringing cross-disciplinary teams together to solve for outcomes rather than process. A visible advocate for women in business, Ciara mentors, judges industry awards and speaks about balancing senior leadership with parenthood, actively supporting the next generation of talent.

IQ Comment

Ciara Nic Liam, Managing Director Gaming, Entain Plc.

She may not be the most famous alum from University College Cork in Ireland — after all, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy famously dropped out of law to pursue acting — but Ciara Nic Liam has carved out her own standout path on the international stage. What people notice most about her isn’t just what she leads, but how she leads. She has an instinct for simplifying complex problems, getting cross-functional teams pulling in the same direction and creating an environment where people feel energised to deliver their best work. At Entain, she brings a steady, thoughtful voice to a fast-moving sector, helping the organisation make smarter decisions about where technology, content and customer insight should collide. She’s also generous with her time, particularly when it comes to mentoring and supporting parents navigating senior roles. Ask anyone who has worked with her and they’ll say the same: Ciara focuses on what truly moves the needle. #Power10

GAMBLINGIQ

03 IRINA Cornides

PRAGMATIC PLAY

With an iGaming career that stretches back to 2004 where she led VIP marketing for PartyGaming, Irina Cornides is now responsible for one of the most complex operational engines in global iGaming. Serving as Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, she joined the company four years ago in January 2022 after a string of senior commercial roles across the sector, including CCO for Asia & ROW at Gamesys, Mandalay Media and BGO Group. Irina focuses on aligning product, commercial and market-entry activity with disciplined delivery, bringing cross-functional teams together to turn creative franchises into reliable, operator-ready content. She has played a central role in Pragmatic Play’s expansion and in securing strategic partnerships that extend the business into new territories and operator channels. Known for inspirational leadership, she combines commercial rigour with a clear focus on mentoring and developing talent while driving measurable growth.

IQ Comment A London School of Economics graduate and labelled as ‘exceptionally bright’ by her peers, Irina may not always seek the spotlight, but she has been a driving force behind Pragmatic Play’s momentum since stepping in as COO in 2022. Her impact comes from clarity; the ability to translate ambitious creative pipelines into products and partnerships that land with players and operators. Those who work with her highlight her talent for cutting through noise, aligning multidisciplinary teams, and keeping execution anchored in real market impact. Irina has helped extend the company’s global reach through strategic agreements, a rapid expansion of the company’s live casino offering and the launch of new verticals, from sports to fresh content franchises. Equally at home in commercial and operational discussions, she brings out the best in her teams. Her leadership shows how disciplined, well-directed delivery can underpin long-term scale.

#RunTheWorld

Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer, Pragmatic Play. #RunTheWorld

Michelle Schenk

IGT

Michelle Schenk is Director of Global Communications at IGT, responsible for media, product and corporate communications across the company. With operator, supplier and PR agency experience, she develops integrated strategies that resonate with both B2B partners and consumer audiences. At IGT, Michelle has led campaigns that placed global slot titles and corporate stories in national and international outlets, generating substantial reach, executive visibility and measurable commercial impact. Her earlier career includes communications roles at Caesars Entertainment, a Las Vegas marketing agency serving major casino-resort clients and communications work supporting suppliers to the gaming industry. That cross-sector background gives her a practical, 360-degree understanding of the ecosystem and the ability to tailor narratives for regulators, investors, operators and players alike.

IQ Comment Within IGT, she is known for fostering strong collaboration between communications, product and commercial teams. Colleagues describe her as a pragmatic, metrics-driven communicator who applies campaign discipline to inclusion work, ensuring that well-intentioned initiatives translate into measurable impact. Outside the office, she is active in industry diversity and mentorship initiatives, helping to develop future communications leaders. Michelle was just appointed to Global Gaming Women’s Marketing Committee, taking on the role of Public Relations Lead for GGW. The appointment strengthens the organisation’s communications capability and reflects her growing influence in industry-wide professional development. In this capacity, she contributes to shaping GGW’s messaging, elevating the visibility of its programmes, and amplifying initiatives that expand mentorship, networking and leadership opportunities for women across gaming worldwide.

Michelle Schenk, Director Global Communications, #RunTheWorld IGT

#Power10

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Fiona Power, Former Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, FanDuel

IQ Comment A degree from Dublin City University and qualification as a Chartered Accountant would be a strong foundation on their own. Add four years at KPMG Ireland and a five-year stint with operator Paddy Power, specialising in retail security and loss prevention, and the picture sharpens. The repeal of PASPA proved a pivotal moment: in 2018, Fiona relocated to the US to join the team establishing FanDuel’s retail sportsbook business, an experience that remains one of the most formative of her career. Leaving FanDuel recently to focus on her own consultancy, her speciality sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, retail expansion and long-term partner alignment. Drawn to gaming’s pace and unpredictability, she thrives in an environment where no two days are the same.

Fiona Power FANDUEL

Fiona Power is a recognised leader in regulated sports betting, credited with building durable, long-term partnerships that have underpinned market entry and sustainable growth across the US. Having begun her career at KPMG and Paddy Power, she later played a formative role in FanDuel’s retail sportsbook inception and expansion following the repeal of PASPA. Her career spans financial and operational leadership, security and compliance-sensitive environments, construction and retail rollout, commercial strategy and start-up scale, giving her a rare, end-to-end understanding of how regulated gaming businesses are built. Known for translating commercial ambition into structured, partner-led execution, her work sits at the intersection of strategy, regulation and long-term alignment in complex jurisdictions.

#RunTheWorld

GamblingIQ.co.uk

06 IQ Comment

Monica Umaña, Acting CEO - LATAM, Evolution

Monica Umaña’s career has been built where live casino really happens, on the ground, in studios, and across fast-moving regulated markets. She came up through hands-on operational and setup roles before stepping into senior regional leadership, eventually taking on positions including Head of LATAM and COO LATAM, and now Acting CEO for Latin America at Evolution. Along the way, she’s been central to expanding studios, opening new markets and supporting partners across multiple jurisdictions, making sure global strategy actually works at local level. What stands out is her ability to scale quickly without losing control — growing live casino operations in high-growth markets while keeping standards, compliance and consistency intact. That practical balance defines how she leads. Today, her influence is woven into Evolution’s Latin American footprint, shaped by deep operational knowledge and a clear understanding of what sustainable growth really requires.

Monica Umaña EVOLUTION

Monica Umaña is Acting Chief Executive Officer for Latin America at Evolution, one of the global leaders in live gaming technology. Based in Costa Rica, she has built her career across live casino operations, regional management and executive leadership, developing deep expertise in running complex, multi-market businesses within regulated environments. Over her tenure at Evolution, Umaña has held a series of senior regional roles, including leadership positions overseeing Latin American operations and commercial delivery. Her responsibilities have spanned studio management, regional coordination, regulatory readiness and operator engagement, with a focus on ensuring operational resilience and consistent service standards across diverse jurisdictions. She is regularly involved in industry dialogue around Latin America’s evolving regulatory landscape and has represented Evolution at regional conferences and forums. Umaña’s career reflects long-term progression within the live casino sector, combining operational credibility with regional market insight at executive level.international markets.

#RunTheWorld

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

07 Valentina

Bagniya

SOFTSWISS

Valentina Bagniya is Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, where she leads global marketing, communications and brand strategy across B2B technology markets. She holds a degree in Economics and an MBA, providing a strong foundation in commercial analysis, market strategy and business management. In 2024, she further developed her leadership and strategic capabilities through executive education at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Before joining SOFTSWISS, Bagniya gained experience in large-scale multinational environments, including time at Nestlé, where she worked within structured, data-driven marketing and brand frameworks. That FMCG background shaped her approach to scalability, performance measurement and brand consistency. Since joining SOFTSWISS in 2020, she has built and scaled the company’s marketing function into a multidisciplinary international team of about 70 people, spanning PR, content, digital marketing, events, analytics and employer branding. Under her leadership, SOFTSWISS has strengthened its global brand presence and positioned marketing as a core commercial function within the organisation.

IQ Comment What distinguishes Valentina Bagniya’s impact is not scale alone, but the way marketing is used as a commercial lever rather than a visibility exercise. At SOFTSWISS, marketing is treated as an evidence-led discipline, one that supports trust, partner confidence and long-term market positioning in regulated environments. Her work reflects a clear understanding of how B2B technology brands earn credibility: through consistency, data discipline and relevance, not noise. Under her leadership, SOFTSWISS has strengthened its presence in regions including Latin America and Asia and earned multiple industry honours, including Marketing Team of the Year and B2B Marketer of the Year. A frequent speaker at international forums, she also contributes to SOFTSWISS’ flagship iGaming Trends Report. #Power10

Valentina Bagniya, Chief Marketing Officer, SOFTSWISS

#RunTheWorld

Kelsy Foster

LIGHT & WONDER

08 Kelsy Foster spent more than two decades at IGT, progressing through senior creative and studio leadership roles within the company’s game development organisation. Trained in actuarial science at Bentley University, she began her career as a mathematically grounded game designer before moving into broader leadership responsibilities across content development and studio operations. She now works at Light & Wonder as Vice President of Game Design, where she leads a game design studio focused on developing player-led content within the company’s global games portfolio. Her career reflects long-term experience in shaping game design environments, guiding creative teams and supporting scalable content delivery within major supplier organisations.

IQ Comment

Kelsy Foster, Vice President Game Design, Light & Wonder.

Few leaders in gaming bring as much broad creative experience to content delivery as Kelsy Foster. Her work sits at the intersection of creative vision and operational execution: she doesn’t just oversee game production, she helps cultivate the studio environment that makes standout titles possible. As Vice President of Game Design at Light & Wonder, she is responsible for shaping the creative environment in which land-based and digital slot content is conceived, tested and refined, particularly within the company’s studio-led development model. Her focus sits on design discipline, mathematical integrity and repeatable creative processes, ensuring studios produce content that performs consistently across diverse casino floors and jurisdictions. LNW.com

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Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

Aida Vardanyan DIGITAIN, MALTA

Aida Vardanyan leads Digitain Malta as its highly trusted safe pair of hands driving operations at the heart of one of iGaming’s most important regulated hubs. Since joining Digitain in 2016, she rose through roles spanning financial and operational leadership to oversee large-scale, partner-centric platform strategy across global markets. As CEO, she has shaped Malta into a strategic operational and compliance centre — centralising commercial support, regulatory engagement, and European partnerships. Her leadership focuses on building scalable infrastructure and responsive support systems, ensuring Digitain delivers agile, innovative solutions tailored to operator needs. Digitain.com

Vesselina Andreeva AMUSNET

Vesselina Andreeva is Chief Operations Officer at Amusnet, the Sofia-based gaming technology supplier behind the former EGT Interactive portfolio and a growing global games specialist. A former Playtech executive, under her operational leadership, Amusnet’s teams now support hundreds of employees across several studios and offices. The company lists an approximate workforce of around 750+ people, helping deliver digital and land-based content to regulated markets worldwide. Andreeva has also been recognised as one of Bulgaria’s Top 100 Executives for 2025, reflecting her influence beyond operations into broader industry leadership. Amusnet.com

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GamblingIQ.co.uk

Issue 11

GAMBLINGIQ

WITH THE RIGHT PARTNER Amplifying Brands. Elevating Stories. Driving Commercial Growth for iGaming PR & COMMUNICATIONS

AFFILIATE MARKETING & PR

CMO FRACTIONAL SERVICE

AWARD SUBMISSIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

EVENTS MANAGEMENT

CREATIVE & WEB DESIGN

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GA M EO N . I M #RunTheWorld

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