Industry leadership in the spotlight at Betting on Sports Europe

Niels Onkenhout (CEO, Nederlandse Loterij), Paris Smith (CEO, Pinnacle), Hrafn Eiriksson (CTO, Smarkets), Tina Southall (Chief People Officer, Gamesys), and Michael Daly (CEO, Catena Media) are among the expert speakers who will take part in the Leadership track at next week’s Betting on Sports Europe conference and exhibition.

The event, which takes place at Stamford Bridge, London on 9-11 November, features an agenda that will see some of the sector’s most influential executives share insights and ideas about how to tackle the major issues shaping the future of the sports betting industry.

On 10 November, the schedule includes a full-day track focused on the key challenges faced by the leadership teams of operators, affiliates, and sportsbook suppliers as market conditions across Europe continue to change.

It will open with an SBC Leaders panel titled ‘Corporate Stewardship 2030’, which will examine how operators can prepare for the evolving challenges of market sustainability, social responsibility, corporate diversity, and workforce inclusion and representation. 

Onkenhout and Smith will be joined by Tim de Borle (CEO, Napoleon Sports & Casino), Jan Svendsen (Founder, Coolbet), and moderator Anton Kaszubowski (Managing Director, SBC Advisory Partners) to exchange ideas about how industry best practice should look.

The issues of how and why to create a diverse and inclusive workforce will be further examined later in the day during the ‘Secret of Success: The Business Case for Diversity’ panel, which features Southall, Sophie Wood (Learning & Development Partner, Lottoland), and Veiko Krünberg (Former Managing Director, OlyBet), with Tina Thakor-Rankin (Principal Consultant, 1710 Gaming) in the moderator’s chair. 

Another boardroom preoccupation will be the subject of the ‘Investment Planning in a Volatile Market’ session, which will see experts from advisory and investment firms give the inside track on how investors now view the betting industry and the opportunities it offers. 

One crucial issue that all operators must address is how to make the most effective use of new technology, and that is the subject of the CTO panel titled ‘Controlling the Stack’. A panel including Eiriksson, Guy Gani (CTO, BtoBet), and Stuart Godfree (MD & CTO, mkodo) will use the session to explore the future of platform provision and underlying technology strategy. 

Completing the operator-focused content will be an analysis of the skills needed to create a successful modern trading room. Thanos Rigas (Sports Team Director, OPAP), Andy Wright (Trading Director, Sky Betting & Gaming), Jens Nielsen (Sports Betting Director, Danske Spil), Andy Wright (CEO, Sporting Group), Matt Scarrott (Director of Sportsbook, BetVictor), and moderator Jonathan Smith (Founder, Sportsbook Training Services) make up the expert panel for ‘Trading Room: Human Skills in the Age of the Algorithm’.

The track also features an Affiliate Leaders panel titled ‘Adapting to a Changing Landscape’, which will focus on how affiliate businesses can provide an effective service that meets the requirements of changing regulations and operators’ evolving responsible gambling policies. Joining Catena Media’s Daly to discuss the issue will be Jonathan Edelshaim (General Manager, Natural Intelligence), and Marcos Oliveira (Chief Commercial Officer, Clever Advertising Group). 

The Betting on Sports Europe conference includes five further tracks - Innovation & Operations, the Payment Expert Forum, the Future of Sports Betting, Marketing & Affiliation, and Betting Around Europe.

All delegates will have access to a programme of evening networking events, culminating in the closing party and Sports Betting Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the spectacular setting of the London’s Natural History Museum on 11 November.

Book your Betting on Sports Europe pass today for the limited special offer price of £355 (a saving of £240 on the full price) at the event’s official website.