Preserving an entrepreneurial spirit
JETTE NYGAARD-ANDERSEN: BUILDING THE NEXT GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM BY ANDREW MCCARRON
SBC: You’ve been in the role for six months now. How have your previous roles in the media, entertainment, sport, digital sectors shaped your leadership style today? JNA: As you know, I’ve been a nonexecutive director for a little over a year. I knew that there was a unique opportunity for us to really build the next global customer-led entertainment platform. That’s really how I see the business and how I believe that we can revolutionise sports betting and gaming entertainment. Throughout my career, I have always worked in businesses or areas where it’s all about understanding the ways that technology enables new consumer behaviours. I really believe that technology is creating new experiences, ecosystems and expectations, but it also enables you to meet the changing customer needs as well as provide customers with new and exciting entertainment experiences. So when I think about our business, I really think about ourselves as an entertainment company. I think about how we can leverage the fantastic platform that we have created at Entain for our customers to create moments of excitement in a safe and enjoyable environment. I knew this when I came into the business, so of course this has been shaping the ways that I think about Entain and our opportunities going forward. It probably also impacts my leadership style, because when you work in the media and entertainment sectors for as long as I have, there are a few things which just become a part of who you are. One thing is, that it’s always about change. The industry is changing all the time. So you need to have that passion and curiosity around new technology and be able to think about how you want to shape the industry.
6 SBC LEADERS • AUGUST 2021
SIX MONTHS AFTER HER APPOINTMENT AS ENTAIN CEO,
Jette Nygaard-Andersen speaks exclusively to SBC Leaders about taking the reins in the midst of a pandemic, why technology is an ‘enabler’ for player entertainment, and why she is hugely excited about new opportunities for the operator across the world I’ve always worked in an environment which has a lot of diversity - diversity between corporate and creative people, between established businesses and entrepreneurs, young and old, men and women. I think it’s hugely important for a business, not least for one of our size and global reach to be diverse. I think this has all shaped who I am. I am extremely passionate about the opportunities that we have in really offering a new and exciting approach for our customers. As I joined, I was attracted to the culture of Entain. We’re
I KNEW THAT THERE WAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BUILD THE NEXT GLOBAL CUSTOMER-LED ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM
acknowledging that we are a big FTSE 50 company, but we are also preserving that entrepreneurial spirit within the company. SBC: When you first joined Entain, one of the things you really wanted to highlight was International Women’s Day. What other events have also stood out for you? JNA: There have been so many things that stood out! But you mentioned the pandemic; I have to say, it is quite unusual to take a CEO role in a global company in the middle of a pandemic. When you take a new job, you are so dependent on being with your colleagues, actually meeting people and also being able to story tell around what your vision is. All of this just works best when you’re in a room together. But I’ve had to work like everyone else has had to do through the pandemic, communicate over the phone
