Wellard – who has been attending gaming affiliate shows since 2007 – said that the sector had historically been dominated by men, which had made it more difficult for some women to get the mentorship they have have needed to succeed.
“The affiliate space has been transformed over the last 15 years,” she said. “When I first started, I was literally one of just five women affiliate managers. On the affiliate side the gender imbalance was even more pronounced to the extent that 99% of affiliates were men.
“I had to learn the gambling industry fast and navigate a male dominated industry even quicker, but with resilience, hard work and determination I carved an amazing career for myself.
“However, that has not been the case for every woman and you have to acknowledge that a lot of talented people have been lost to the business simply because of such a lack of balance.
As a result, she welcomed the launch of Ascend, a new mentoring initiative to launch at iGB Affiliate London, aimed at supporting women early on in their affiliate careers.
“With the support of the iGB brand and buy-in from across the business, I am confident that Ascend will help to create greater diversity to the betterment of the industry and I am excited to be a part of it,” Wellard said.
Wellard added that there may be added difficulties now for new entrants into the gaming affiliate space due to Covid-19’s impact on events. As a result, she said, the return of events such as iGB Affiliate London will be a great boost to the industry.
“During the last two years of Covid, I have felt for anyone new coming into the affiliate sector,” she said. “These events are invaluable to progressing as both an affiliate and an affiliate manager.
“You build relationships face to face and can learn more in a 15-minute meeting than you can from back-to-back emails. It gives you energy and passion and the wealth of information you can soak up in a couple of days is invaluable.
“It has always been the case that events can take everything from you mentally and physically but they make business much easier because that’s where strong business relationships are built.”
iGB Affiliate will take place from 13-14 April at the ExCel London. To register for the event click here.
ICE 2022 will take place from 12-14 April at the ExCel London. To register for the event click here.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/igamingxls-wellard-hails-igb-ascend-as-the-start-of-a-huge-movement/
