GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 31 - February 2015

you combat CPA fraud? Although the vast majority of our affiliates are happy with our revenue share model, we are happy to discuss potential CPA deals, too. Due to the specialized nature of such deals, though, these are handled on a case-by- case basis (which would include various checks to avoid fraud). But it’s not some- thing we’re averse to, provided the cir- cumstances are right. How many affiliate managers do you have on staff? And what background do they have in the industry? We have two managers at the moment, both of whom joined RP Affiliates with prior industry experience. Pawel, who deals predomi- nantly with our Eastern European af- filiates, comes from an online gambling background himself, having worked for one of the major players in the industry. Onno, who is our head of affiliates, joined us with years of experience in the affiliates sector under his belt. Describe the office culture at Royal Panda. If there were a fly on the wall, what are some of the topics of con- versation it'd hear about at the water cooler? Although we’re very busy (as I’m sure you can imagine), we all get on well together and the atmosphere is quite laid back — which is what you want in a creative environment. Water-cooler con- versation would really depend on what’s going on. Things like ideas for promo- tions, bonuses or stuff we need to submit or approve tend to be common themes. But then again, it might be about what we’re doing over the weekend, new video games, what happened in Game of Thrones yesterday, or restaurants and bars. Or just whether the water’s cool enough. You went to university in the U.K., cor- rect? How long did it take you to adjust to life in Malta? How often do you get back home? I did go to university in the U.K., although I actually spent most of my child- hood in Germany and The Netherlands (and returned to live in both countries again for spells in my 20s). So as someone who’s used to moving to a different coun- try every five or 10 years, moving to Malta wasn’t too daunting in itself — especially as English is an official language here. The only thing that does take some getting used to are the summers, which can be es- pecially hot and sticky for those of us ac- customed to the more temperate summers of northern Europe! I head back to the U.K. to visit friends and family probably two or three times a year, and usually squeeze in a visit to another country as well, although in saying that, I do tend to find that friends and family are quite keen to come visit me here for a cheap holiday. If someone from out of town were to vis- it you, where is the one place you would have to take them? Mdina (Malta’s old capital city) is always worth seeing on your first trip to Malta, as is Valletta. And as I live in St Julian’s, a trip down to Spinola Bay and its assortment of restau- rants, bars and pubs is pretty much essen- tial most evenings. How do you ensure that payments are sent out on time? And when do your pay- ments go out? Payments are supposed to go out 15 to 20 days after the end of the month in question. However, as we like to ensure our affiliates get their money before then, in reality we often send them out sooner. We find the sooner people are paid, the happier they are. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? We are facing a number of challenges at this time, particularly when it comes to regulation of individual mar- kets and the matter of where value added taxes (VAT) need to be paid. So that’s all a little bit up in the air at this point. On the whole, though, I’m hoping the examples set by major regulated markets such as the U.K., coupled with the new tax laws within the EU, will persuade other countries to open up their markets more. Because as we’ve seen, a properly regulated market will not only behave in a responsible manner, but also offers cus- tomers better products at lower cost. What do you use for most of your web surfing: desktop computer, laptop, tab- let or smartphone? It really depends on where I am at the time. If I’m in the of- fice or my home office, I’ll use the PC (two screens are perfect in that regard). If I’m in the living room or kitchen, I’ll use my tablet. And if I’m in bed or on the move, I’ll use my phone. If we picked up your iPhone and pressed play, what song would be playing? Actually, probably not that much right now. I recently switched from an iPhone to anAndroid phone, so I’m still in the process of transferring my entertainment media. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go? Right now, I’d prob- ably be thinking about going to Cologne or Bonn in Germany. In general, though, I’ve always wanted to check out Japan — but with destinations that far away, it’s all about finding the time. So that one might have to wait a couple years! If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Ex-F1 world champion Jackie Stewart would be my first choice. I’m a huge mo- torsport fan, and although I’m too young to have seen him race, the way he merges such passion, dedication and knowledge of the sport without compromising his principles or humility is something I’ve long admired. My second would prob- ably be former British Prime Minister William Gladstone, whose strong prin- ciples are something I’ve always admired. And I suspect my third choice would probably be Tetsuya Mizuguchi, a former video game developer whose games I’ve admired greatly down the years. Name three things that people reading this magazine don't know about you. Well, in keeping with the countries I grew up in, I speak German and Dutch as well as English, which tends to come in rather handy in this line of work (especially the translation aspects). By extension, I’ve also developed a keen interest in cooking and baking down the years. When you’ve lived in a few differ- ent countries, you’ll always end up miss- ing a particular dish from somewhere you’ve lived before that you can’t find in the shops and restaurants. So if you fancy a portion of currywurst followed up with a slice of luxe-rijstevlaai while living in Malta, you have to learn how to source the ingredients and make it yourself. And finally, there’s my love of motor- sport, particularly Formula One and tour- ing car racing. 65 Affiliate Manager Interview Series