“We continue to successfully execute our strategy of acquiring complementary businesses”

It is no news to the industry that ICE is a must-attend event in the gaming calendar, for it sets the trends that will determine the future of the sector. What's been Playtech’s overall impression of ICE Totally Gaming 2017 and when do you expect to reap the benefits of your participation in the international exhibition?

ICE is the largest event of its kind in Europe and we put months of preparation, time and effort into producing both a visually stunning and clear and well laid stand and customer journey. As pioneers of omni-channel gaming we are very focused on relaying this message and its capabilities across the stand, hence the stand having no defined zones and conveying to visitors that omni-channel technology is designed to enable borderless play across any product, any channel and any device and all using one account and one wallet, making the player experience the best it can possibly be and enabling maximum return and value to our licensees.
 
We were inundated with meetings and generated a huge amount of interest and enquiries both from existing and potential new customers and we will take this forward and develop these as time goes on. As we know from our experience in the industry, it is both crucial to establish new relationships but also maintain and nurture existing relationships. The proof in the strength of our offering and commitment to our licensees is evident by the length of our relationships with our customers. Many important agreements were renewed in 2016 and the beginning of this year with nine out of our top 10 licensees now on long-term contracts, including Paddy Power Betfair, William Hill, Rank and Betfred.

Do you anticipate any major changes or hope to see any changes to the gaming industry in 2017 that are going to have an effect on the company's operations?
 
As we have already seen this year, we will see further consolidation with smaller operators and suppliers being acquired and larger counterparts merging, while the results of those that have already merged will begin to come through as we have seen with Ladbrokes Coral and Paddy Power Betfair. Regulation will always be a part of our industry and changes to both existing frameworks and newly regulated markets opening will continue to shape how and where we offer our services.

One of the hot topics at this year's ICE was Multichannel Convergence. What is your approach towards the cross-channel experience and why is this a key revenue driver for businesses? What are the main barriers to multichannel success and what is the importance of data?

We continue to successfully execute our strategy of acquiring complementary businesses, including enhancing our omni-channel offering and adding further premium content, with the acquisitions of BGT, Quickspin and ECM. In addition, the acquisition of Eyecon post the period end further strengthens our position and extends our reach into new areas. These acquisitions will only add to our already strong position in omni-channel where we have been able to implement some ground breaking technology for the likes of Coral that have seen levels of player acquisition and spend significantly increase. Omni-channel is based on joining up the customer journey across all its touch points, making it as seamless and as easily accessible as possible and enhancing every element the customer sees and interacts with from the content and the products and the account and wallet experience, to the way their journey is personalized and how the operator communicates with and rewards them based on their loyalty or profitability for example.
 
As CEO, how would you describe your management style? What do you think are the characteristics of a good business leader?
 
I have been with the company for more than a decade and still enjoy every moment I work here. I work with a smile on my face and am surrounded by some wonderful friends and colleagues. It is about enjoying what you do and maintaining those energy levels as a result. I have a great deal of drive and passion for both the company and this industry and can't wait for our next stage of growth and to see where we and gaming goes next.

What are your aims for the year and how do you intend to achieve them?

Our aims remain the same every year. We have strong current trading within the gaming division and expect this to continue; our Financials division is trading in line with expectations with encouraging KPIs; our M&A pipeline remains healthy with active ongoing discussions; and we expect strong performance in 2017 driven by both organic growth and the acquisitions we delivered in 2016.