“We will continue to grow across all our global locations and gain new contracts"

What were the main difficulties the gaming industry had to overcome in 2015?

The wave of mergers and acquisitions we have observed amongst some major operators in the European market has seen them shed excess staff and pause recruitment drives.

The fast pace of technological change has created a global candidate talent shortage especially in emerging fields within IT and Development and in niche areas such as Casino and Bingo.

A tightening in the regulatory regimes and increases in taxes in some jurisdictions have made it more difficult for new companies to enter the market.

There has been lack of revenue growth in key markets such as Italy, Spain and France which has affected the ability of companies operating there to upscale their operations.

How have these market challenges impacted Pentasia's performance?

We have seen a decrease in the number of recruitment requirements from large clients affected by the wave of consolidation.

The shortage in candidates with certain skills has prompted us to change many of our candidate attraction methods.

We have evolved and expanded to work with new clients in related industries within the wider ecommerce, digital and entertainment sectors who are looking for candidates with similar skill sets.

What was the biggest challenge that Pentasia's HR Department had to face in 2015?

Good recruitment consultants are at a premium so our main challenge is to ensure we attract retain our own staff across all our locations.

To reflect the evolution in candidate attraction methods, we are developing a more digitally focused induction program for all consultants to ensure they are equipped to recruit in a more digitally focused way.

What are the plans for the coming year?

We will continue to grow across all our global locations and gain new contracts. This will assist and support our customers who require candidate with skill sets that are in short supply and who are not available for permanent opportunities.

We will evolve alongside our customers and ensure that we are attracting the talent required across every candidate vertical/specialism.

We will look to grow our current headcount in all locations and also open new offices across Europe, the US and Asia as new regulations and legislations happen across the world.

We will look for possible new brands that would enhance and benefit the current Group portfolio with Conexus group.

Looking ahead, what will be the main challenges?

Continuing to attract enough talent to support our customer's growth plans globally.

Retaining our staff across our current locations and attracting new staff into Pentasia.

Further M&A and consolidation within the operator market.

New market penetration for gaming companies and Pentasia.

Marketing spend will continue to increase so ensuring money is spent wisely in all areas as can be easy to spend and see no return.

Developing new products & continuing to be innovative.