Pulse
Technology GR8 TECH
GR8 Tech: empowering engineers to take ownership
Responsible for establishing and overseeing this engineering mindset at GR8 Tech - a unit that now generates over half of the company's revenue - is Artur Ashyrov, Chief Technology Officer. Sitting down with G3 Media, Artur sets out how the team is structured in a way that grants teams the autonomy to excel in their specialist niches and the use cases for generative artificial intelligence.
Could you tell us more about GR8 Tech’s engineering division. How big is the team and how is it structured?
At GR8 Tech, our engineering division is quite expansive, with around 400 talented IT specialists. Our team is structured to ensure both autonomy and synchronisation across various functions.
Artur Ashyrov Chief Technology Officer GR8 Tech
Artur Ashyrov is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at GR8 Tech, focused on achieving revenue-driven goals and fostering engineers’ growth. Artur helped build a strong engineering unit that now generates over half of GR8 Tech’s revenue.
Artur has been involved in tech platform transformation since 2006, his career journey developing from outsourcing projects to building platforms for booking and CRM systems, media, iGaming, project management tools, and game development industries.
Artur’s main strength lies in disassembling issues in large, inflexible projects and remounting them better to achieve improved results. To do this, he disrupts tech, company culture, and people's mindsets.
Artur is also a visionary behind establishing an engineering mindset in GR8 Tech, promoting knowledge and experience sharing across different technical departments of the company. To drive the growth of the engineering unit, Artur has joined the GR8 Tech Academy, guiding and mentoring the next wave of industry professionals. Over 20 of his trainees have transitioned to join GR8 Tech’s team post-graduation.
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Teams that focus on platform-wide issues are centralised, which ensures that our core infrastructure remains robust and efficient. We also have dedicated product divisions, such as separate teams for Sportsbook, Casino, CRM, and other key areas. Each business unit operates with its own Head of Engineering, who maintains a functional connection to the management team.
Tis structure grants our teams the autonomy they need to innovate and excel in their specific domains while staying aligned with our overall strategies and policies. It allows us to stay agile and responsive to the unique challenges and opportunities in each area of our business.
How does GR8 Tech foster a conducive environment for engineers that encourages them to do what their best at - solve problems, expand technical knowledge and create new opportunities for the business? And, as senior management, what’s your role in helping to achieve this?
I think engineers, like all people, perform best in a supportive and dynamic environment designed to encourage problem-solving rather than impose rigid constraints. At GR8 Tech, we create such an environment in several ways. First, we focus on growth opportunities, actively seeking out strategic development paths for our employees while considering customer context, industry trends, and emerging technologies.
Tis proactive approach ensures that our engineers are constantly evolving and staying ahead of the curve. We also promote cross- functional projects, allowing our engineers to work on important tasks that develop their skills and significantly impact the business. Tese projects foster collaboration and innovation across different areas of the company, which is incredibly energising and rewarding.
Autonomy and responsibility are, in my opinion, crucial for specialists’ development. Our teams have the freedom to make decisions, which promotes a culture of responsibility and initiative. Tis autonomy empowers our engineers to take ownership of their work and drive results.
As CTO, I try to match my engineers’ growth areas with promising tasks and projects that may help drive their development to the next level. However, I like to focus on creating opportunities first and letting people take the initiative.
As I said, responsibility is key, and owning the initiative in a decision is the foundation of being responsible. Only if no one is eager to take on a task on their own do I start assigning roles—but I'm happy to say that's rarely the case.
To what extent is the technical team integrated with the operational and commercial arms of the company? Do the tech team talk directly to clients or via account managers?
We involve our engineers in client interactions during pre-sales processes. Tis involvement allows them to gain a deeper understanding of customer needs and to offer effective, tailored solutions, asking questions that would never come to the minds of non-tech specialists. Plus, it’s amazing to see how much more impactful engineers’ work can be when they understand the end-user perspective firsthand.
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