Q&A: General counsel Rani Wynn on the diverse culture driving LiveScore Group’s industry defining model
By iGaming NEXT – 13 Jun, 2023
Ahead of her appearance at iGaming NEXT Valletta this month, LiveScore Group general counsel and board member Rani Wynn discusses the company’s key goals and how it approaches a wide array of challenges, from regulation to diversity and gender equality.
iGN: Can you tell us about the overarching goals and vision that drive LiveScore Group’s operations and its unique approach to shaping the future of the sports betting and media industries?
LiveScore Group has the unique advantage of combining a trusted, historic media site (LiveScore) with a fresh new eco-system of world-class betting products (LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet).
The thing that sets us most apart from our competitors is our symbiotic convergence model via which we bring sports closer and more seamlessly to fans, rallying against the backdrop of a fragmented and uneconomical sports and gaming landscape.
We have an overarching vision to be among the leaders in each corner of the sector in which we operate (indeed, one of our core values at LiveScore Group is ‘Ambition’) but in a way that brings ‘more’ to our customers seamlessly.
LiveScore will consistently have the best content on the most reliable service, and equally, our premium betting products will be a cut above, with exceptional offerings such as our award-winning free-to-play games, and for those customers who want to combine all of their interests in these separate areas, we will make it as easy as possible for you to do so.
iGN: What is the biggest challenge LiveScore Group faces to remain at the forefront of the industry and continue innovating its strategy?
I think the biggest challenge for all operators in this industry will always be regulation – particularly for multi-jurisdictional businesses that need to adhere to various compliance landscapes.
We take our role as a responsible, trusted, and ethical operator extremely seriously.
While adapting to new legal requirements can be challenging in terms of internal resourcing and development, it is a worthwhile and necessary challenge to take up as a commitment to our customers across the globe.
iGN: Tell us about LiveScore Group’s Women in Sport Gaming Employee Resource Group and how it fits into the wider LiveScore Group mission?
Our LiveScore Group WiSG brings together a team of over 40 women across all areas, offices, and seniority of our business.
With humble aspirations initially of simply reviewing ways that we could make LiveScore Group an even better place for women to work, and a company that promotes diversity and attracts more women candidates, we have now grown into something much more – supporting policy infrastructure, events campaigning, and mentoring junior talent.
LiveScore Group recognises that a company will never achieve its mission without a positive workforce combining towards collective success, and initiatives such as the LSG WiSG do just that.
iGN: How important are employee resource groups like LiveScore Group’s Women in Sport Gaming ERG when it comes to creating a healthy and prosperous culture? In our experience, ERGs are a fantastic way to help foster a great culture (we have three active groups currently).
First, they bring together sub-groups of interested minorities across the business, and then together, the group advocates for those minorities’ interests.
It is a wonderful example of the adage “Stronger Together”.
Sometimes in big organisations, smaller voices can be lost among the sea and ERGs are such a powerful tool to help ensure engagement with a rich diversity of thought.
iGN: What initiatives or programmes has the Women in Sport Gaming ERG implemented, and are there any examples of tangible differences these have made to employees?
LiveScore Group’s WiSG ERG formed last September, and in the nine short months since inception, we have made real and impactful changes to our business.
Among those examples we’re working with our People team to undertake a full review of all company policies predominantly affecting employees that identify as women, and either suggesting enhancements, improvements, or new policies.
This has resulted in an enhanced maternity package, updated Pregnancy Loss and Menopause policies, and a new Fertility Policy in the approval process.
Separately, we have hosted events and discussions including an incredible panel on International Women’s Day, and most importantly, it’s just a fantastic forum to share ideas, experiences and knowledge.
iGN: Looking ahead, how would you like to see the industry evolve when it comes to diversity and inclusion and how do LiveScore Group’s plans and goals help to advance the industry?
I think it’s impossible to say that I’d like to see gender balance in the industry reach a 50/50 even keel as I think this is unrealistic and also unnecessary.We don’t need headcount parity to have a much more inclusive sector, rather, we need to be more welcoming overall, we need to attract candidates with all different life experiences (not just our mates from competitor X) and make sure mothers can return to work after having a baby and be supported to continue their career trajectory to fulfilment.
I truly believe that LiveScore Group is at the forefront of this area of industry modernisation, and I really look forward to where the next few years take us on both the micro and macro levels.
Rani Wynn is general counsel and board member at LiveScore Group. Wynn, an Aussie in London, made the jump from broadcast media to sports and gambling in 2018 when she joined LiveScore Group (then part of Gamesys).
As general counsel, she has shaped a full service legal team to underpin and drive forward the group’s vast commercial and transactional aspirations globally. A fervent promoter of industry diversity, Wynn established LiveScore Group’s women’s resource group in 2022 to tackle workplace gender imbalance.