AFFILIATE MANAGER INTERVIEW SERIES Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and where did you grow up? Hello! I’m Yana, Head of the PIN-UP Partners. I’ve been in the affiliate scene for about six years now and I’m widely known as Karma, but more on that later. How did you first get started in the iGaming industry? What drew you to this field? To be honest that’s quite a story that started almost 10 years ago… During my mom’s company retreat, I met an acquaintance of hers (who in the future gave me my first job as a laser-tag arena manager) who turned out to be involved in the whole traffic business. So, after school graduation, I got a job as an office manager for a media buying team, and after a few months and getting into the university I decided to step up and become a media buyer in said team. After a year of being a media buyer, I switched sides and joined an affiliate program. That’s how I got into PIN-UP Partners as a junior affiliate manager. My story is proof that a circumstance combined with curiosity and hard work can take you anywhere you dream of. What learning experiences or advice helped shape your career path? Despite having a university degree, I had to learn everything handson. I always listened to my senior colleagues, took notes, and adapted my approaches and actions. In my opinion, one of the most important skills is finding your opportunities for growth and being able to apply the new skills you acquire right away. What do you like most about your role? What I like most is my team of department leaders – those are the people I’ve been working with for quite some time and with time comes mutual understanding that allows us to work like a well-oiled machine. And of course – challenges. They motivate me to do my job better, be it seeing an opportunity and seizing it, or coming up with a new idea that makes an impact. What are the keys to your success in driving a 30% volume boost as head of affiliates last year? In 2023, we worked on improving both sales and affiliate department’s performance. We’ve developed education and quality control departments; we strive to improve both in hard and soft skills. We provides affiliates with favorable terms and GEOs, and that’s the “secret sauce.” Yana “Karma” Ryzhenkova PIN-UP Partners GPWAtimes.org 64
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