NEXT.io Podcast

After his studies in Frankfurt and at Stanford University, Nico joined the IT department of Investment Banking of Commerzbank in Frankfurt and London. Being familiar with the demand for Real Time data in the finance industry and having a passion for Sports and Sports Betting, Nico left Commerzbank in 2012 to start Bet IT Best as a State of the Art and One Stop Shop for the Sports Betting industry. In 2015 Bet IT Best received a seat at the Web Summit Alpha program for one of the most promising overall IT startups and in 2016 Bet IT Best received the "Highly Commended" seal in the "Innovation in Affiliation – Best New Affiliate Product" category from the well-known Sports Betting Community SBC. In 2017 Bet IT Best gained the first ever Sports Betting Broker License handed out from Malta Gaming Authority. Although freshly entering the industry in 2012, Nico has been a reputable and highly respected speaker at different and various industry events (iGB, SBC, WGES for 5 years in a row etc.) as an Expert for Compliance, the German Market, Innovation and IT trends (mainly mobile focus).

26 Mar 20211h 12min

Ken is the VP of Operations for Hotjar, a Malta-based start-up with over 150 remote team members currently distributed across 32 countries. Ken oversees People Operations, Finance, and Compliance at Hotjar. He is also a digital nomad and has been travelling the globe with his family for almost 7 years. Prior to his travels, Ken held leadership positions in traditional corporate environments where he gained great experience but was tied to his desk. He relishes and advocates for life “outside the cube”.

25 Mar 202153min

At GiG James is responsible for providing leadership and management on the delivery of sales objectives around the globe (managing both the sales and marketing teams). James has over 11 years’ experience in sales from the front line through to Group Sales Director (Clarion Gaming) leading all aspects of sales excellence driving revenue growth initiatives globally. He has successfully led and managed sales teams of varying report sizes across a mixture of businesses ranging from events through to publishing and digital with focusses on b2b technology (software), operations, and media within iGaming.

19 Mar 20211h 18min

At GiG James is responsible for providing leadership and management on the delivery of sales objectives around the globe (managing both the sales and marketing teams). James has over 11 years’ experience in sales from the front line through to Group Sales Director (Clarion Gaming) leading all aspects of sales excellence driving revenue growth initiatives globally. He has successfully led and managed sales teams of varying report sizes across a mixture of businesses ranging from events through to publishing and digital with focusses on b2b technology (software), operations, and media within iGaming.

18 Mar 20211h 4min

Andy is PwC’s esports industry leader across their global network. Andy helps organizations navigate through a fast-growing, global, emerging market; providing insights and expertise across a complex ecosystem. With 19+ years of experience at PwC UK, across a wide range of industries, and leading the global firm's activity in the esports sector for the last 4 years. Andy built an extensive external network, across teams, leagues, publishers, organizers, platforms, and brands. Having worked closely with many esports organizations helping them develop strategies to improve global reach, brand awareness, and meet growth targets; as well as help with capital raises.

11 Mar 202142min

Mr. Rafael (Rafi) Ashkenazi, is a former The Stars Group CEO and a future Executive Chairman of Hard Rock Digital. Previously a Playtech COO, he joined the Rational Group in 2013 and had been with the company that eventually became known as The Stars Group for seven years. Taking over as CEO in 2016, Rafi is widely recognized to have played an integral role in the business leaving an incredible footprint on all it's aspects. Mr. Ashkenazi, who initially joined Stars Interactive Group in January 2013 as Chief Operating Officer, is an experienced gaming industry executive who previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Playtech plc (LSE: PTEC), a global gaming software development company (Playtech), from January 2006 to January 2010 and then from September 2011 to January 2013, and as a member of the board of directors of Playtech from March 2006 to January 2010. From January 2010 to September 2011, Mr. Ashkenazi served as Vice President of Business Operations of Playtech. He was appointed Senior Vice President of Strategy for The Stars Group in April 2015, Chief Executive Officer of Stars Interactive Group in November 2015, Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Stars Group in March 2016 and then permanent Chief Executive Officer of The Stars Group in November 2016. Mr. Ashkenazi graduated with honors from Shenkar College in Israel where he earned a B.A. in Industrial Engineering.

3 Mar 20211h 3min

Ben oversees the Commercial team at GiG, with responsibility for commercial agreements with our various suppliers and pricing models for GiG’s ever-expanding product range. His background is casino management, including MGM in Las Vegas, and Head of Casino Operations for Nordic Gaming Group. Ben joined GiG in 2013, as Head of Casino Operations and co-founder of Guts, and progressed to Managing Director of iGaming Cloud (a vertical in GiG now called GiG Core) in 2016, and was announced as CCO in late 2017.

26 Feb 202153min

Robert Andersson is a passionate company builder with 18 years in leading positions with a great network in the Swedish and Baltic investment community. Focus on Business Development, marketing, strategic and organizational planning in the areas of Media, Games, and Product Development.

24 Feb 202157min