Before the arrival of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, gender diversity in the workplace was showing signs of improvement. The gambling industry, in particular, witnessed some encouraging developments. For instance, IGT was included in Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index, which evaluates companies based on five areas: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand. Additionally, gambling operators in the UK voluntarily reported their gender pay gap figures, with mixed results. Ladbrokes saw an increase in the percentage of women in high-paying positions, while Coral Racing experienced a decrease. William Hill maintained the same gender pay gap, while Rank improved slightly. Kindred faced a decline in all three metrics but expressed confidence in reversing the trend. Overall, the progress in the industry remains slow, a trend observed across various sectors.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a regressive effect on gender equality, with female job-loss rates estimated to be 1.8 times higher than males globally. The additional pressure on women with children, caused by the sudden shift to remote working and the closure of schools and childcare facilities, has significantly contributed to these job losses. A study conducted in the UK revealed that mothers were more likely to have lost their jobs or quit since the pandemic began and were taking on a disproportionately higher share of childcare responsibilities compared to fathers. This challenging situation has led some women to consider downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce altogether.
The Women in the Workplace 2020 report by McKinsey & Co and Lean In emphasized the importance of women in senior roles and their positive influence on companies. It stated that companies with a high level of female leaders tend to outperform their competitors and play a crucial role in fostering an employee-friendly culture that champions diversity. However, the pandemic threatens to reverse the progress made in increasing the representation of women in senior positions. Therefore, it is crucial to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of women in the iGaming industry. The Most Influential Women survey aims to recognize women who have made significant contributions and serve as role models for others. This year’s survey received a record number of nominations, highlighting the industry’s commitment to promoting gender diversity and equality.
Here are the first two influential women from the list:
- Maris Catania – Head of responsible gaming and research, Kindred
- Lara Falzon – Operational chief financial officer, NetEnt/CFO, Red Tiger
Maris Catania has been instrumental in changing the perception of harm minimization in the industry through her work at Kindred. Her efforts, including the development of the Player Safety Early Detection System (PS-EDS), have been recognized as groundbreaking and have contributed to thousands of players being caught early in their addictive behavior and helped them gamble responsibly. Maris continues to strive for improvement in this field.
Lara Falzon has been involved in multiple M&A deals throughout her career and played a significant role in the Red Tiger acquisition by NetEnt. She has transformed the financial strategy of Red Tiger and successfully guided the company through the acquisition process. Despite facing challenges during the pandemic, Lara remains inspired by other working mothers and aims to serve as a role model, empowering women in her team.
The remaining influential women will be featured in Part 2 and Part 3 of this series.
