GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 29 - July 2014

of my colleagues past and present. We employ amentoringprogramwhenman- agersfirst join thedepartment, and Iguess that one of the first things I learned was to be organized. Obviously we receive a great deal of e-mail on a daily basis and so it’skey to react/respond inorderofpri- ority. Further to this andworking closely with thegamingsideof thebusiness,we’re regularly acquiring new releases and try- ingout newpromotions. It’s important to keepup todatewith theseandensure that our affiliates arewell informed. What do you know about the industry now that you wish you’d known when youfirst started? Iwish I’d learnedmore about theWebdevelopment sideof things when Iwas at university. It’s important to have a general knowledge of this in our role and my understanding has natural- ly improved, but I think that this would have really aidedmy initial conversations with affiliatepartners. Where do you think the industrywill be in five years? I think that it will be even bigger than it is now. Looking at the con- ference turnouts each year, there are new faces each time and the attendance rate is forever increasing. It’s reallyexciting tobe part of an industrywith suchgrowth and we welcome new affiliate relationships at bet365. Wheredid you growup? Andhowwould you describe life in Stoke-on-Trent? I grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and although sometimes it gets put down for perhaps not being themost glamorous setting, it’s where my family and friends are. Being in the Midlands, we’re pretty central to bigger cities like Manchester/Liverpool, which is convenient for meeting with partners. It also means there is a vibrant city culture and nights out not too far away. There are also regular trains, and a trip toLondon takes just over anhour. If someone fromoutof townwere tovis- it you, where is theoneplace youwould have to take them? Being an avid Stoke City fan (owned by the Coates family) I would have to take them to the Britannia StadiumtosampletheBearPitatmosphere. Mark Hughes has got the team playing some really great football at the moment and we finished in our highest ever po- sition in the Premier League, with our highest points tally in the 2013/14 season. Aside from this, Staffordshire hosts one of the largest U.K. music festivals in the summer of each year, V Festival. Having attended the festival on a couple of occa- sions, it’s definitely one of the best events hosted near Stoke, and a must see for thosefirst visiting the area. What is the last book you read?Did you enjoy it? I read a lot of the classics at uni- versity; however, I’ve recently started the Game of Thrones series. I’m amassive fol- lower of the TV adaptation and I wanted to seehow thebooksdiffered,whichfilled avoidwhile Iwaited for thenext series! What I particularly enjoy about Game of Thrones is the foresight and strategic ap- proach employed by some of the char- acters. I find it really interesting the way one character can see the chain of effects caused by a single action. The forward planning and resulting consequences all playout perfectlyaspredicted, ultimately positioning themwith theupper hand. What do you use for most of your Web surfing: desktopcomputer, laptop, tablet or smartphone? It varies, really, between my desktop, iPad and iPhone. If it’s a big shopping session, I’ll need somethingwith more thana three-hourbattery life! I think that this reflects the direction that the industry is taking. Consumers favor convenience and it’s so easy to search for things on your mobile nowa- days. Obviously bet365 reacts to this and we have mobile-specific promotions for eachproduct. If we picked up your iPod (ormore like- ly your iPhone) and pressed play, what song would be playing? I’m a big fan of music and my taste varies from indie to chart music to dance. I’ve been listening toHaim’s album onmyway to and from work, so that’s probably the most recent onmyplaylist. If you could go anywhere on vacation, wherewouldyougo? I’mhoping to travel the U.S. next year. While New York ap- peals tome for the shops and the sights, I’d like to visit Vegas and experience the gambling culture. It would be interesting to see the difference between the online side of things that I currently see and the offlineworldof gambling. “Whilewe’ve held the title for theBest Affiliate ProgramOverall for the past five years,more recent accolades such as ‘Best Poker Affiliate Program’ reflect our increased efforts to improve all of our existing products.” Ifyoucouldhavedinnerwith threeother people, living or dead, who would they be? It’s difficult to pick just three people! I’d have to go with David Beckham be- cause he’s a sporting legend/gorgeous, Beyoncé because she’s a strong ladywho makes greatmusic andmymum! What are three things about you that no one knows? I’m a pretty open per- son, really, but for thosewhodon’t know me: I’m climbing Mount Snowdon next month, I’ve got all of my piano grades and I’ve recently been on an episode of You’veBeenFramed! 69 AffiliateManager Interview Series