„My degree at SIBE guaranteed a very solid foundation to be successful!“

Michael, what is your area of responsibility as Business Developer at Lottoland?

In my role as Business Developer at Lottoland, I am privileged to facilitate business growth in a profitable manner. In this context, my daily routine involves providing relevant answers to important questions like: How do we become more cost-effective in our online marketing activities? How can we scale our online marketing activities with existing and new strategic partners across our main channels and markets? This role requires that I’m well connected with internal and external stakeholders as well as staying on top of the latest trends in digital marketing, regulatory frameworks, and the iGaming industry. It’s as such that no day is like the other, and of course I like the variety it brings.

What makes it exciting for you to work for Lottoland?

Lottoland has digitized and reshaped an industry which had been dominated by state monopolies for decades. Today, the company is an innovative interferer in the modern iGaming industry. Naturally, as a result of this, we face various challenges in some markets in which we operate. At the same time, I’m convinced that digitization which is flavored by innovation is creating better values for customers and our success in doing so is mirrored in the company’s rapid growth. As a matter of fact, Financial Times recently ranked Lottoland as the 128^th fastest growing company in Europe. Who wouldn’t be excited to be a part of this?

Why did you decide to work abroad in Gibraltar and would you recommend it?

Gibraltar is the European Silicon Valley of the iGaming industry, It’s home to Lottoland and other alike leading companies given its advanced regulatory framework. Being one of the most successful and fastest growing economies in the world, Gibraltar is a perfect place to build your career. Every day I have the opportunity to work together with brilliant industry experts from over 30 countries and it also provides a whimsical avenue for me to make use of all three languages that I speak. Furthermore, the surrounding area is one of the most distinctive and beautiful corners of Europe as it offers a fantastic work-life balance. I absolutely recommend it for all – and by the way, we are hiring!

Upon the completion of your Master’s degree in Management, you have worked in business consultancy and later for Bertelsmann – one of the biggest media corporations in the world. What are those major experiences you have garnered as a consultant that prepared you for your following roles?

In the first place, in every new consulting project you usually work with a fresh team of highly talented and committed professionals. One of the major benefits of this is that you can learn from the various experiences and perspectives of the team members within the short period of time. Secondly, working in consulting requires that you adapt fast to different personalities so as to ensure productivity, this provides a good opportunity to develop an effective interpersonal skill. Thirdly, consulting gives you a good understanding of the structures, challenges, and strategies of different blue-chip companies. Above all, these experiences prepared me very well for my following roles at Bertelsmann and Lottoland.

In which ways would you say your degree at SIBE benefit you the most? To whom would you recommend this degree?

In my current role, I manage a whole variety of commercial, legal, technological and other related topics. My degree at SIBE guaranteed a very solid foundation to be successful in all of this. Furthermore, I put to good use the SIBE network that I built during my studies there and for me, this is one of the most important assets of the programme.

I would recommend a SIBE degree to everyone who wants to push both their career and their personal development to the next level and also to those who want to put theory into action and make things happen.

In your opinion, What should modern managers take out of the programme to be best prepared for their tasks?

From my point of view, the programme encourages modern managers to commit to life-long learning and development while helping others to grow alongside, to aspire for self-actualisation, to make well thought-out decisions, and to mobilise strength and will-power to form and reach goals to drive innovation when there is no blueprint, no standard, no right or wrong. The programme teaches the fundamental pillars of management and economics as well as values which support career and personal progression and I believe that this is an essential combination modern managers should take out of the programme.

What do you remember with pleasure when thinking about your time at SIBE?

Certainly, I really enjoyed all the seminars and classes. But then if I’m asked to select the most memorable from my endless list of fascinating moments, it would be the time I spent with the course in Brazil. In retrospect, completing parts of the double-degree programme abroad, combined with visiting leading international companies and travelling through the country during off times was an experience I look back to with total satisfaction and utmost joy.