GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 41 - July 2018

the customer think?” mentality gives me a good compass to navigate with. What makes Mr Green stand out from other affiliate programs? Hands down, the people. The Mr Green team is nine people strong with nine different nationalities. The team surprises me and makes me proud every single day. Being a gentleman isn’t just for our customers; we conduct business in that manner. We have worked really hard to assem- ble a strong multi-skilled team of people who are trustworthy, data-driven, transparent and partner-focused. This year at the iGB Affiliate Awards in London, you won the Best Casino Affiliate Manager Award. What did this award mean to you both personally and professionally, and what was it about your job performance that you think allowed you to earn such an honor? This was huge for me. I honestly didn’t expect it and did not bring an appropriately sized handbag with me to carry it home! Personally, it was amazing, but honestly what really made it special was that Eoin Findlay from my team won the following award for Sports Affiliate Manager. I was so hugely proud of him and to win the awards side by side felt like a lot of hard work was being seen from the outside. Since the theme of the awards this year was “tenacity,” I think that was quite fitting. I hope that the judges chose me because they saw and knew how hard I work and how together with my team, we’ve achieved great growth and improved our affiliate program. I always work to represent affiliates’ needs to the rest of the Mr Green company and I really hope that’s seen from the outside and was part of the reason I was chosen for such an honor. How long have you been in the online gaming in- dustry? How did you get into it? I was in university, studying and working part-time in a call center in Dub- lin. When it moved its operations to London, I asked my friend who worked across the road to get me a job in his call center – that just so happened to be for SportingBet and its linked American brands. If that doesn’t give you an idea about how long ago it was, let me clarify: long before UIGEA! I’m almost 13 years in the industry now, from CS to operations management to quality control, fraud analysis and marketing. How does your current position at Mr Green differ from your previous jobs within the industry? What is the most important thing you learned in your pre- vious positions that prepared you for your current job? In so many more ways than I expected! For one thing, we’re lucky to have 30+ nationalities in Mr Green. Being used to mainly working with Irish and British people, I’ve quickly had to learn to slow my Irish accent down! Another big difference is having brand values throughout every facet of the company and mentality. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve worked for strong brands, but having a brand like Mr Green is a different level and can be interpreted for so many day-to-day things. From our events to the way we treat our partners to our day-to-day way of speaking to each other, being a gentleman and a cut above is what is always referred back to and at the heart of what we do. I’ve picked up a lot of hard skills through the years that I use every day, but honestly, the most important and useful thing has been my years in customer service. The people who work in CS are the glue that holds us together. They know everything , and approaching my work with a “what would Laura O’Brien Mr Green Affiliate Program In this issue, we sit down with two stellar affiliate managers to discuss their jobs, their affiliate programs and their visions for the industry. Laura O’Brien of Mr Green Affiliate Program and Thomas McBride of Mintbet Partners are both longtime iGaming veterans with a deep love and knowledge of the industry. Both affiliate managers are always looking for ways to connect with affiliates to build relationships that work for all parties – so if you see them in Amsterdam or at any other conference, make sure to stop by and say hello! Meet the Affiliate Managers AFFILIATE MANAGER INTERVIEW SERIES W W W . G P W A T I M E S . O R G 66