LIGHT & WONDER
to be successful. More than anything, it taught me that staying close to the player, understanding what makes them tick, and not being afraid to try something different are all essential to curating a loyal following amongst players. I also like to think that spending time on both sides of the fence has helped me to create a good balance between the need for immediate results that can drive operators, with the requirement to create long-term quality and depth of experience that is at the heart of a good supplier. We genuinely try to partner with our customers and being able to discuss their business from a position of understanding helps us to add value that is above and beyond the performance of the latest product that we have sold them.
CI: What are your immediate points of focus and goals as MD? WE: I am fortunate to follow Simon Johnson into this role, and he has left me a very strong inheritance! And of course, I have been a part of the regional leadership team for the last few years so there are no massive surprises and no signifi cant changes of direction or focus. Obviously we will continue to drive the quality of our products and strive for excellence in the service we deliver for customers, but we are also working hard on making Light and Wonder a great place to work for our teams. I am a strong believer in working together to create happy workplaces and a sense of community. This is particularly important for companies that create fun products so ensuring that teams are able to enjoy their work and feel fulfi lled by the collective mission is really important to long term success.
CI: And longer term, what will you hope to achieve over the course of 2023/2024? WE: Our real challenge is to ensure that the improved quality of our products translates into increased market share. We have invested very heavily in both people and processes to drive even higher standards and I really think they are being seen in our latest games. It’s now up to my regional team to help our customers pick the right products for their venues and unleash these great new games so that their players can benefi t from the exciting experiences that we have created. From an internal perspective we are trying to deliver an
improved sense of community and make our region a great place to work. We are blessed with a lot of experienced and longstanding team members, and we want to make sure, in the new normal of hybrid working, that we maintain a sense of fun and creativity and that we also help new colleagues maximize their experience with us.
CI: How was ICE for L&W and you personally? WE: ICE was defi nitely hard work! With my previous experience in Product Management, I’m used to working on the stand and dealing with many customers – but my change of role not only resulted in me meeting many more customers than in the past but also engaging at a broader level than before. I was very lucky to be supported by an experienced team – they’ve done this for many years and even with a couple of years gap they picked up seamlessly and delivered a great show – I’m very proud of them!
CI: What caught your eye elsewhere in the ExCeL halls? WE: Not much really – but only because I spent almost all of the show on our stand! I think we are in a very exciting time as an industry right now – everyone is stepping up their game, and as digital and land-based converge ever more quickly, we will see the best parts of both sectors distilled and this will become the new normal.
CI: Where do you see your land-based business heading over the next few years? WE: Coming from a UK background, it has been very easy to see land-based as the more traditional and slower-paced part of the business. I think this is wholly unfair, and many of our land-based partners work incredibly hard to keep their proposition fresh and competitive with their online rivals. As a supplier that is focused on quality, it’s great to be able to benefi t from the enhanced experience of the bigger screens, better sound, exciting environments, and great service. Of course, the suppliers who will win in the long term will create memorable experiences in both land-based and digital, but those suppliers, and operators, also understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Getting the product right in all channels delivers signifi cant benefi ts wherever the player plays.
CI: And the same question but with online products; where do you think we’re going? WE: I think we will continue to see the very innovative, and in some cases downright crazy, game mechanics that have really helped drive the digital gaming sector across much of the world. But I do think we may see less of a focus on ultra-volatile games, which of course appeal to a segment of the player base, and a move towards creating more fulfi lling experiences for the more casual player base. As a supplier with both online and land-based businesses, we are in a great place to blend the white-hot innovation of the digital world with the high production values and focus on long-term experience that is the key to success in land- based venues. In any case, it’s going to be a fun journey as we learn to optimize our offering for the exciting future ahead of us.
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