iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Bright Future
This year iGaming NEXT aims to bring together the moguls of the iGaming Industry through the grand digital event Online: Bright Future. Cranking it to the max with 50 industry-renowned speakers and 5.000 delegates joining us in front of the screen, making this an unforgettable event, a digital phenomenon, the grand ball of the iGaming industry. Through a series of exclusive discussions on Investment, Leadership, Marketing and Emerging Tech, we dive deep into the centre of the iGaming planet in the coming June of 2021. During the two-day-long event, the featured industry leaders will provide an insightful look into their thoughts, strategies, and work process. Take a leap into the future of the iGaming industry, and join us on the 8th and 9th of June 2021! Be a part of the digital future!
Hosts

Originally spawning from an iGaming career that started at the age of 17 during the early days of the online poker boom, Pierre Co-founded the event management company Ambassadör Events in 2013. The company specialises in B2B & B2C event concepts targeting the gaming sector with more than 600 successful projects behind them for most of the major organisations within the industry. In 2016, Pierre Co-Founded the primary award show of the gaming industry, iGaming IDOL followed by the content driven conference, iGaming NEXT in 2018.

Oisin Lunny is an award-winning marketer, webinar and podcast host, MC, public speaker, virtual event consultant and journalist. His work has been read over half a million times as a senior contributor to Forbes, The Guardian and others. Oisin has spoken at over 250 conferences in every corner of the world, including TEDx and six times at SXSW, and he has worked in a series of leading global technology firms over the past 20 years.


A Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding enthusiast with a creative mindset and a passion for building employer branding strategies and initiatives to help attract talent to the innovative iGaming industry. She loves creating brand engagement online and being a brand ambassador for one of the longest standing gaming operators; Betsson Group.
Presenters


Simon is a specialist in technology, product development, innovation and organisational scalability, with over 15 years of experience in iGaming. Having held senior positions at Betfair and within the Betsson Group, he co-founded Fast Track in 2016 as a direct response to the challenges that operators face in running an efficient, scalable business. He is now on a mission to digitalise the iGaming industry.


Neil is the General Manager for Kindred’s UK business, responsible for growing Kindred’s footprint in the market through our 32Red and Unibet brands. Neil has been with Kindred for over 10 years.




Marijana is the Head of Online Operations with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment industry. She has been working in SKS365 and gaming for 9 years. Responsible for 4 teams that work directly with customers, Marijana understand the importance of having a powerful tool and a 360 view of the customer. Having previously lead the Salesforce team for 2 years and being a certified admin herself, Marijana knows how to utilize Salesforce’s potential and recognizes that it plays a key role in her team’s success.


Peter Ekmark joined Internet Vikings in 2019 following an extensive 14-year business development venture at successful iGaming operators like Kindred, Vera&John and MrGreen / William Hill. He has been involved in various international brand and product launches, most recently in Asia and Latam. During his career, Peter collaborated with companies from almost every area related to the industry – from platform providers and game developers to payment providers and affiliates.


Petra Maria Poola, Head of Operations and Business Development at OneTouch, joined the company after a hugely successful spell as Senior Account Manager at the leading gaming events company SiGMA. She brings extensive skills and experience in marketing, client relations and financial planning for the regulated iGaming industry.


— THE YES, MORE THAN NO MAN —
Born in south of Sweden back in the early ’80s, He came from a loving family, with two siblings and with a caring father and loving mother. Everything that he is today he learnt from his parents and his mentors. His goal in life is now to give that knowledge to the rest of the planet.
Life for Alex has not been easy even if it may seem to be that on the outside, he has struggled with dark demons on the inside through his childhood, and even when he became an adult. The stories are many and the takeaway will optimize your life if you choose to accept the honest truth. Everything started with one YES, and if Alex can do it, so can YOU.
Communication is the key to all success in the world, be a part of the movement!


Michael O’Grady has almost 20 years of experience within digital transformation and computer software. Formerly worked in SAP and Oracle and with Salesforce now 5 years leading the go-to market strategy in Malta, Cyprus and Greece. Michael has vast experience in the Salesforce platform and empowering igaming businesses to enhance their customer experience.
Speakers


Shona is the Head of Strategic Events for the leading sports betting affiliate Better Collective. With over a decade of experience in the iGaming sector, much of that focussed on the affiliate market, Shona has been responsible for the creation and development of some of the industry’s biggest events, including iGB Live!, LAC, Sports Betting USA and ICE.
A passionate advocate of the events industry and its ability to bring people and businesses together to make meaningful value-based connections. The current pandemic has only confirmed the importance of human connections and the importance of face to face meetings.
In her spare time she can be found indulging her biggest love; food, eating it, writing about it, photographing it and planning what to eat next.


Per is an industry veteran with extensive corporate experience, most recently he served as the CEO of the NasdaqOMX-listed affiliate powerhouse Catena Media.
Former CEO and Chairman of Readly, Per joined the business in the start-up phase and prepared it to be listed on NasdaqOMX.
Per also had an exponential impact on the business growth at Nordic Gaming Group (NordicBet) as CEO, positioning it to be acquired by the Betsson Group in 2012.
Per has extensive experience in working with and within European, American and Asian countries.


36 year veteran of the gaming industry, predominantly land based operations at Regional Director level for Rank and Caesars Entertainment. Previously European Director of Operations for 35 cruise ships across 4 fleets for the Carnival Corporation, currently Group Commercial Operations Director for the Bombay Group based in Tallinn.






Adam Fiske is the Co-Founder of iRival Media and CEO of their exciting new consumer brand, Dimers.com.
Adam has over 15 years of senior management experience in sports and betting on both sides of the fence, having worked with sportsbooks and media companies throughout his career, prior to launching Dimers.
Adam leads a passionate full-time team of seven at iRival Media, all of whom bring significant experience to the US following successful careers in the relatively mature Australian and European gambling markets. That team is supported by a dedicated network of consultants and contributors who form what is sure to be a formidable player in the US online sports betting landscape.


Long before he was appointed CEO in 2010, Henrik Tjärnström was a part of the Kindred Group (then Unibet Group). He joined the Board of Directors in 2003 and was part of the Board until when he stepped into the role as Chief Financial Officer in 2008. Henrik holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Institute of Technology, Linköping University, Sweden. Before joining the Kindred Group, he was employed as Senior Financial Manager at Skanska Infrastructure Development AB from 2001 to 2008.




Chris is the global industry lead at Google for Gambling. Before Google, Chris spent 7 years at Betfair working in various strategy, insight and marketing roles.




Anita Brinke is COO of the Coingaming Group and has been an integral part of the business for more than four years, having previously served as the Head of VIP and Customer Experience. Pulling from her decade-long experience, she is currently executing on the strategy to orchestrate Coingaming operations with one aim: always to put the customer at the centre of our universe. Driven by data, customer feedback and market trends, her global team can determine and deliver the best customer experience using the latest tech innovations. Having previously worked with industry giants such as Betsson and Betway and other cryptocurrency brands, her focus on the details and personalised approach turns Coingaming customers from players to loyal brand ambassadors today.


Maris currently occupies the role of Head of Responsible Gambling and Research at Kindred. She started as a Risk and Fraud Analyst with Kindred and after receiving her Psychology MSc from the University of Leicester, took on the role of Responsible Gaming Manager. She has a Diploma in Gambling Addiction Counselling and Psychology, and is now reading for her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Mark Griffiths, focusing primarily on the analysis of the early signs of online problem gambling, responsible gaming tools and responsible gaming promotion. Whilst recapitulating research for her role, she has started an innovative detection tool with Kindred, known as the PS-EDS (Player Safety – Early Detection System).


Senior commercial exec with 15 years gaming industry experience in delivering market leading customer experiences and commercial growth for Paddy Power & Betfair brands, now part of Flutter Entertainment plc. Primarily focussed on the operator side but also has walked a few miles in content developers shoes via close involvement with Cayetano Gaming which Paddy Power acquired almost 10 years ago in 2011.


Sam started his career at LBi before taking up a role as Account Director at Locker Room Media in 2008. Four years later, Sam founded the media agency Crave & Lamb which he subsequently sold to VE Interactive in 2016. He went on to join Marathonbet, as their Head of Global Marketing, managing global acquisition, retention and brand channels as well as completing partnership deals with Manchester City, Sevilla and Real Madrid. In July 2020 Sam joined Tomorrow as their Commercial Director to help continue the growth the business has seen amongst their international clients.


Stuart co-founded mkodo with Sue Yoxall in 2001, taking the opportunity to bring an innovative technology-based service to the rapidly developing gaming market.
Stuart began his career as an Applications, and then Systems Engineer, before joining Sun Microsystems as Senior Solutions Architect. During his six years at Sun, he managed many significant and prestigious projects for blue chip clients, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, DaimlerChrysler AG and The Economist.
He has worked within the Wireless Solutions industry, and has sat on the Board of the Mobile Data Association, for a number of years and is passionate about everything mobile applications related.
Recently, Stuart founded mkodo’s Evolve Scheme, a graduate scheme investing in the next generation of talented individuals who want to progress a career in the mobile applications technology field.




Sara is a data driven digital marketing manager with more than 10 years experience in the field. She started working in 2009 at a digital marketing agency called Bueninvento. For five years Sara had the opportunity to work with several clients with different business models, implementing and improving their social media strategies, SEO, SEM, and email marketing. In her next role as a CMO at Texyon Games, a MMORPG Publisher, Sara developed their marketing plan and the international launching strategy for all of their games, working with influencers and affiliates, for a two years period. She then jumped to the ecommerce industry, where she worked for three years, managing all kind of paid campaigns in different platforms and marketplaces, until 5 months ago when Sara started working as a Digital Marketing Manager at Zimpler.


Daniel is a former Engineer Officer in the US Army, with over 10 years in senior level leadership in gaming and sports.
Daniel founded a leading sports betting company in South Africa that was sold to Sun International, Africa’s 2nd largest casino group. Previously, he was in the sports marketing industry where he worked on various commercial strategies linking and integrating global brands with sports organizations.
Daniel has spoken about the above topics at gaming and sports marketing conferences all over the world. These include ICE Totally Gaming in London, South Africa Responsible Gambling Summit, Business in Gaming(BiG) Africa Summit and Global Symposium for Racing & Gaming in Arizona.
Daniel earned his MBA from Wits Business School in Johannesburg, South Africa and also a BSc from The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Daniel has now lived in South Africa for over 12 years.


A successful entrepreneur & senior marketing and acquisition director with experience in delivering incremental multi-channel and multi-product growth, Toby has worked in the online gambling sector from the start of the industry.
Toby has pioneered leading worldwide major gaming, esports, and gambling brands transformations into digital and continues to push the boundaries further with his clients with his experienced team at Digital Fuel.


Farhaan is a forward-thinking and maintains a sharp focus on emerging technologies to effectively adapt enterprises across Retail, Banking, Hospitality and Education to create new experiences and ensure competitive edge by working alongside innovative Intel partners. Previously he was the Director of Product Management at Aepona Ltd, an API management and Payments start-up acquired by Intel 2013.


With nearly a decade of experience across various gaming technology companies, Edo joined Playtech as the CEO of Euro Live Technologies in 2016 at a transformational time for the live entertainment product. During the last 5 years, Edo has been driving innovation and pioneering the technological changes along side the physical studios expansion to new territories within the Live Casino vertical.
Edo’s vision for Playtech Live is to deliver the best possible entertainment-led experience to leading operators across the world. It is clear from the continued growth and variety of games offered across an ever increasing number of studios worldwide that under Edo’s management, Playtech Live has cemented itself as a global leader of next level entertainment live products and services.




Scott Longley has been a journalist since the early noughties covering personal finance, sport and the gambling industry. He has worked for a number of publications and now writes for online and print titles including Wagers.com for which he also co-writes the Wagers.com Earnings+More newsletter.


Stefan Kovach is Managing Director of Think Changers Ltd a digital and blockchain business consultancy. He has been involved in internet startups since the late 90s across a variety of industries before following a career in the gaming industry over the past 15 years including holding senior management roles at PokerStars, Bwin.Party and most recently as CEO for FunFair technologies, a decentralised gaming platform built on the Ethereum blockchain.


Kelly has 14+ years’ international experience in the financial services, within Capital Markets in both London and New York. Kelly recently joined Edison Group from the London Stock Exchange to lead their ESG business. With sustainability leading the direction of the financial markets, Kelly is committed to supporting companies as they develop their business to a more sustainable future.


John has played a senior leadership role at Microgaming since joining the business in 2004, serving as chief financial officer for nearly 14 years until his appointment as CEO in June 2018. During his time as CEO, he has driven the company’s strategy and vision, diversifying Microgaming’s core casino offering and elevating its position in the global gaming marketplace. With conservation and sustainability at heart, John is leading Microgaming to a greener future, and he places the highest emphasis on employee wellbeing and engagement, safer gambling, and corporate social responsibility.


Mohit is a Partner at the Clairvest Group, which is a $2.5Bn growth-oriented private equity firm with investments globally. Clairvest has been investing in the gaming sector for 20+ years with past and present investments across gaming including casinos, racetracks, route operators and online B2B/B2B firms. Mohit co-leads efforts at the group with ownership of online gaming.
Mohit’s activities are broad and include researching emerging trends, networking with senior leaders, sourcing investment opportunities and advising Clairvest’s portfolio companies. For example, he is a board member on three of Clairvest’s portfolio companies and takes on special projects such as leading acquisitions, defining strategy, or making key hires.
Prior to Clairvest, Mohit was a technology consulting leader at McKinsey & Company, held roles at prominent investment firms and holds an MBA with Honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mohit lives in Toronto with his wife (Kiruthiga) and young daughter (Mia).


Andreas is currently the CEO of Symmetry Invest A/S which he founded in March of 2013. Before that, Andreas spent 8 years in accounting in BDO. Andreas holds a HD(R) and a Master Degree in Accounting.
Symmetry Invest A/S is an alternative investment fund (AIF) with positions in several companies within the iGaming industry.


Oskar Muhlbach is a digital industry long timer, with experience from many successful global companies in various digital sectors. He has held senior positions, advisory roles and board assignments at several high-growth e-commerce, marketing and gaming companies such as Lensway, Eleven/NordicFeel, Mr Green, Footway and currently as CEO at the iGaming performance marketing partner Raketech.


Benedict is an iGaming enthusiast with over 17 years experience in the industry. He has worked on defining industry brands such as PokerStars, Betfair and Mr Green. Benedict has an obsession with making customer relevant products – and never happier than when speaking to, and learning from customers.
Benedict is a happy husband & father to four and finally settling into his latest renovated home, after 7 houses in 7 years!


Julian is co-founder of RB Capital. He is an investor & board director to multiple ventures in the gaming, fintech & music industries. He has managed investments, M&As and exits to date in excess of $500m.


Sarah Blackburn is Managing Director of GameOn, a PR agency that creates digital PR and marketing strategies on behalf of a wide variety of iGaming clients. Sarah has been working across the B2B and affiliate sectors for more than 15 years and has represented some of the biggest names in gaming.


Jade is the Managing Director of Amber Gaming and is responsible for the strategic development, growth, and performance of the business.
Her experience includes advising clients on the complex multi-jurisdictional regulatory landscape, including corporate structuring, licencing applications, and relocation assignments. She is immersed in the gaming industry and has worked across a breadth of Amber Gaming’s product and service sectors, playing a key role in its internationalisation, rebrand and commercial development.
Jade holds a Bachelor of Laws degree issued by the University of South Africa and a Diploma in International Marketing Management.


Thomas Allen is a Managing Director and has headed US Gaming, Lodging & Leisure research since 2013. Institutional Investor magazine voted him an All-America Rising Star in 2013, and he is currently ranked Runner-Up. Thomas has received 4 or 5 out of 5 stars from Starmine for stock-picking in 3 of the past 4 years. He covered Gaming & Lodging from 2006 to 2009 as part of Celeste Brown’s No. 2 II-ranked team. Thomas then covered Diversified Financials before becoming a lead analyst covering Business Services companies. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2006, he worked in capital markets at Bank of America. Thomas has a BA in economics from University of Pennsylvania.


Tim Heath draws upon two decades of experience within the igaming and emerging technologies sectors as GP of Yolo Investments. An early adopter of Bitcoin in 2013, he was founder and CEO of the Yolo Group (formerly the Coingaming Group) until 2020. The Group operates leading crypto gaming brands Bitcasino and Sportsbet.io, with the latter securing high-profile sponsorships with Premier League clubs Arsenal and Southampton.
Tim specialises in transforming ideas into successful business. Since founding Yolo Investments, the venture capital firm has rapidly grown. It now holds assets in more than 50 businesses, with an AUM in excess of €350 million.
A strong believer in the power of crypto to improve the lives of people around the world, he is now increasingly focused on the fintech and blockchain spaces, and where emerging technology can disrupt the traditional banking industry.



Oisin Lunny is an award-winning marketer, webinar and podcast host, MC, public speaker, virtual event consultant and journalist. His work has been read over half a million times as a senior contributor to Forbes, The Guardian and others. Oisin has spoken at over 250 conferences in every corner of the world, including TEDx and six times at SXSW, and he has worked in a series of leading global technology firms over the past 20 years.


CCO at Push Gaming, with an integral role in establishing the company’s business development planning and strategy, Nicola Longmuir spearheads the company’s strategic goals for marketing, product and sales, as well as cultivating existing relationships with its growing global operator portfolio.
Nicola has gained over 15 years of experience in senior positions at some of the industry’s largest and best-known brands, including Head of Sky Vegas at Sky Betting and Gaming, GVC Group, Paddy Power Betfair and most recently, Commercial Director at Gaming Realms.
With the knowledge and skill to further drive the company forward, Nicola is instrumental in ensuring Push Gaming provides the very best in innovative entertainment for players.


Liesbeth Oost is the Sustainability Manager at Aspire Global, the leading B2B-provider of iGaming solutions. She focuses on the sustainability strategy, at the heart of which is responsible gambling. Liesbeth has a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from the University of Groningen, and is a Certified Investor Relations professional (CIR®). Before her career in online gaming she worked at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Background in e-commerce, media and gambling. Several CEO positions, among those; Svenska Spel and Mr Green. Co-founder of gaming studio Green Jade Games.


Jesper Svensson has been in the gaming industry since the mid-2000s. Over the years he worked in senior positions in several gaming companies in Europe and Asia.
He joined Betsson in 2013 as the managing director of its flagship brand, betsson.com. In 2015 he became Betsson’s Chief Commercial Officer and was then made acting CEO in September 2017. Just three months later, he was appointed as CEO for Betsson Operations.
Jesper holds a Master in International Business from EAE Business School (Barcelona) and a Bachelor in Marketing from BI Norwegian Business School (Oslo). Jesper is passionate about sports and gaming.


Fiona Hickey has over 10 years in the iGaming space, starting her career in the industry with leading headhunting firm, Bettingjobs before joining slots provider Push Gaming to head up Sales and New Business. Having partnered with the largest and most influential companies in the industry as well as start-ups and service providers, she has gained extensive Commercial knowledge that sees her well placed to drive business growth.


Tsachi Maimon has been prevalent in the iGaming industry since 2008, having previously worked at Playtech before joining Aspire Global as a board member and CEO in 2013.
Bringing with him a wealth of industry knowledge, Tsachi has played a key role in the major developments the company has seen. Some of these include listing the company on the Nasdaq stock exchange, as well as the acquisition of games aggregator Pariplay and sportsbook supplier BtoBet. His leadership largely contributed to Aspire Global’s solid positioning as one of today’s most prominent iGaming B2B suppliers.
Tsachi holds an M.A in Business Studies from the College of Management (COMAS) in Israel and is an all-round sports fan with a penchant for tennis.


Lahcene Merzoug, is the CEO of PressEnter Group and is primarily responsible for spearheading the company’s aggressive growth strategy whilst also overseeing the company’s flagship brands’ expansion into new markets. Prior to his role as CEO of PressEnter Group, Merzoug spent two years as the CEO of ComeOn Group and was Chief Marketing Officer at Green Media, Mr Green’s internal media agency. He has also held senior roles at Evoke Gaming, Bonnier Gaming, and Red Bet, bringing a wealth of expertise and experience to PressEnter Group (formerly known as Betpoint Group).


Michael Brady is the CEO of Eyas Gaming, a new venture run by gambling industry veterans and which is backed by the Gauselmann Group. Brady is also founder and board director of Bede Gaming, an award-winning proprietary gaming platform which joined the Gauselmann Group last year.
An informal conversation with CEOs where we gain valuable insights into today’s business challenges as well as the trends and issues shaping decision-making tomorrow.
The US market offers a huge potential to bring gaming experiences to a whole new audience. Content is key but not the only factor in creating a successful game. Providers that don’t fully commit to driving success in the market risk falling short. Scientific Games present how they have set themselves up for success by adapting their whole game launch process.


For some 2020 was a year of panic; for others it was an opportunity for new rewards and increased market share. The crazy year for the online gambling industry has resulted in a flurry of new partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions in the industry but we ask the panellists to speculate who is next and who is the least desirable to be the acquired. Who will be the next IPO and what is the latest on US iGaming stocks?
We take an insider look at the purpose of setting up your own company. In an industry that is criticised more than it is praised we ask what is really driving the company forward: money, passion, or sustainability.
A fireside chat with two industry players who will take a forthright view on how the
pandemic has provided its challenges and offered the opportunity for the
redevelopment and reimagination of games. In a deepened effort to engage the
next generation we explore why LIVE is here to stay and will be one of the driving
forces of future next-level entertainment


We talk with a prominent figure in the news and look at their incredible journey, challenges, and success factors they have faced both as an individual and their brand in iGaming.
You shape the session – we invite you to submit questions ahead of time to ask questions LIVE at the event!
As the gaming industry continues to expand – so does the risk. With increased pressure on high-profile companies to focus on positive, transparent and proactive communication on what they are doing to combat gambling we speak to Kindred about their industry-changing decision and why collaboration with others is one of the key factors.
As the sector revenue took many by surprise and as the financial sector looks to ride on the latest wave of enthusiasm, we look at whether the returns on invested capital have the potential to be even significantly higher and see which iGaming stocks will skyrocket?
Can companies which are deemed not politically correct, ever do good? In an industry that is looked down upon by general society and with gambling at its core what can we do to change the perception of it and how can the industry demonstrate good sustainability.
The difficult challenges and opportunities that the last 18months has provided has meant that companies have been forced to rethink their strategies and become more agile as the industry adapts to a new working environment. We take a deep dive into how this transpired and examine how one team was able to leverage an iGaming Player / Customer Centric platform to navigate the wave of uncertainty and come out ahead of the competition..




To err is human. As we go through life, in any endeavour we are going to make mistakes from time to time. One of the most important attributes of a leader is the ability to admit his or her mistakes. We ask industry stakeholders open-up about their experiences in the iGaming world and how M&A conversations even start!



As we strive for greater connectivity and with the potential that 5G may eclipse the fastest fibre connection, what will it mean to our industry and how should business leaders react today?
Jesper Kärrbrink talks responsible gaming, regulation and continuous education with Kindred CEO, Henrik Tjärnström. Understand how brand, culture and customer focus has been at the forefront throughout their expansion and how the new style of working has provided its challenges.
Trends continue to be born, stimulating innovation in the gambling industry. Most trends come from technology evolution and cryptocurrency is no different. With sports betting continuing to develop and adopt crypto and iGaming players praising how convenient it is we look at how the evolution of crypto is going to take shape and how it will become mainstream (commonplace) in years to come.


As it continues to expand its iGaming portfolio we take a first-hand look at OneTouch’s push into LIVE as the mobile market continues to rise. We discuss the ease of crypto adoption across this vertical and how providing real life experience is key to gain the competitive edge.



It is the new kid on the block. Big names are talking about it – prices are skyrocketing – but what are they, why should you be paying attention and what relevance do NFTs play in the iGaming industry.
Last years’ drop in physical sales meant brands have more than ever had to rely on digital to retarget and acquire players. But the announcement from Google and EU on cookie bans has sent brands into a tailspin as to where their new reliance will lie. We examine what is in stall for the industry as it looks for ways to gain this data securely and comply with the latest regulations.


Discussing current state by state acquisition trends and the successes/challenges operators are having with media partnerships, affiliates and traditional digital marketing.
Michael Pedersen talks latest trends and challenges across the digital media space with Chris Harrison, Industry Head, Financial Trading and Egaming at Google. Key topics are privacy, loss of 3rd party cookies and how advertisers should prepare, shift from precision to prediction targeting, does YouTube deserve more credit as a brand channel and Google’s view on Casino Streamers
Simon will be lifting the veil on AI and ML, providing insights into how it all actually works, as well as giving practical tips on how every person in your organisation can get involved.


Advisory Board
Phil Pearson is the Head of white labels and sales for iGaming Group and iGaming Platform, who specialise in a fully managed casino solution for MGA or curacao based operations. With a cutting edge back office, gamification, over 6000 games and counting, and fully managed CS and payment solutions, they are leading the market moving into 2021. Not one to shy away from controversy Phil is very outspoken on LinkedIn and other platforms, pushing for a fairer and more open igaming community. Outside of work Phil enjoys NFL, visiting as many random and remote holiday destinations as possible, and has 22 rubber ducks in a pool.
Sarah Blackburn is Managing Director of GameOn, a PR agency that creates digital PR and marketing strategies on behalf of a wide variety of iGaming clients. Sarah has been working across the B2B and affiliate sectors for more than 15 years and has represented some of the biggest names in gaming.
Fiona Hickey has 10 years in the iGaming space, starting her career in the industry with leading headhunting firm, Bettingjobs before joining slots provider Push Gaming to head up Sales and New Business. Having partnered with the largest and most influential companies in the industry as well as start-ups and service providers, she has gained extensive Commercial knowledge that sees her well placed to drive business growth.
Shona is the Head of Strategic Events for the leading sports betting affiliate Better Collective. With over a decade of experience in the iGaming sector, much of that focussed on the affiliate market, Shona has been responsible for the creation and development of some of the industry’s biggest events, including iGB Live!, LAC, Sports Betting USA and ICE.
A passionate advocate of the events industry and its ability to bring people and businesses together to make meaningful value-based connections. The current pandemic has only confirmed the importance of human connections and the importance of face to face meetings.
In her spare time she can be found indulging her biggest love; food, eating it, writing about it, photographing it and planning what to eat next.