Parallel and Plenary Session Speakers

Alison is Head of Corporate Responsibility at Camelot UK, having joined them in June 2014. She is leading Camelot UK towards new ways of demonstrating the company’s strong vision and commitment to player protection, and building on a long history of responsible operations. Alison chairs the WLA Responsible Gaming Working Group, and is a member of European Lotteries Responsible Gaming Working Group.

Prior to joining Camelot UK, Alison worked at Capital One in a broad Head of Corporate Responsibility role covering consumer protection, community investment and environmental management. She also previously worked at Investec Bank on social investment and sustainability initiatives, and has experience in the education and third sectors.

Alison holds a master’s degree in corporate responsibility, a BA in geography and French, is a founder member of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS), and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Mr. Antonios Kerastaris is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member of the Board of Directors of INTRALOT Group, a leading multinational gaming solutions provider and licensed operator. He assumed this role in 2014, after serving as the Group’s Chief Financial Officer. As INTRALOT’s Chief Executive, he works with the board, management teams, and company partners around the world to design and implement strategic goals, key investments, and operational models that align with technological and consumer trends, as well as operational best practices of the modern era across markets.

Previously, he served as Chief Executive of Hellas online, a leading telephony and Internet provider in Greece, and member of the INTRACOM Group of Companies. During the last 23 years, he has held numerous senior financial executive positions in the areas of telephony, hospitality, retail, and automotive industries, including at Procter & Gamble, Hilton, Mercedes, and the OTE Group of Companies.

Mr. Kerastaris holds a degree in Business Management from the Athens University of Economics and Business. He is married and father of two children.

Ms Beh Swan Swan is both the Group CIO for Magnum as well as the Head of the Magnum Group CSR division. She is also the current APLA Secretariat Administrator.

Swan Swan graduated in 1980 from Monash University, Melbourne Australia with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science. She has been with Magnum since 1988, when they first embarked onto their computerization exercise. 

Swan Swan is a very active member of the Malaysian CIO Chapter where she first served as an Exco member, and is currently the Vice Chairperson for the 2016/2017 term.

Swan Swan was awarded the International Data Group ASEAN CIO Award 2013 at the 2013 CIO/CSO Summit on September 25, 2013 in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. 

Swan Swan also actively supports the newly formed local ISC2 Chapter; ISC2 is the largest not-for-profit membership body of certified information security professionals worldwide. 

Swan Swan is very passionate about her IT work and also very intimately involved in implementing new CSR initiatives in the organization, believing that “Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something”. 

Carlos Bachmaier is currently responsible for managing personal data protection, risk, and continuity within the TIC Directorate of SELAE.

In 1984, he founded the engineering and services company GMV, where he worked as Operations Manager for 18 years. Since joining SELAE – by then a fully owned subsidiary – in 1998, Carlos has been responsible for different management and assurance functions: Information Security (both subsidiary and SELAE), Internal ICT Audit, Corporate Risk Management, Business Continuity, CRS, GRC, and Integrated Management System.

Carlos is currently Chairman of the European Lottery Association (EL) Public Order and Security Working Group, and Vice Chairman of the World Lottery Association (WLA) Security and Risk Management Committee.

Besides his activities in the lottery and gaming sector, Carlos is a committed professional in relation to standardization, and a contributing expert to the groups related to information security, business continuity, services, risk management, and IT governance of ISO. He also teaches Business Continuity and Security subjects at master’s degree level in Spanish universities.

Carlos holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, M.Sc. in Integral Security, M.Sc. in CSR, and MBA by IE. He also holds CISA/CISM/CRISC/CGEIT from ISACA, and ISO 27001 LA. He was an Associate Professor of Flight Mechanics for 16 years from 1981.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Chris moved to New Zealand in 2001 and joined Lotto NZ in 2002. Over the course of the past 14 years, Chris has lead Lotto NZ’s retail network. As part of his role as Chief Operating Officer, Chris is not only focused on ensuring the strength of Lotto NZ’s retail network, but also leads Lotto NZ’s product development and instant ticket innovation, and is instrumental in Lotto NZ’s ongoing commitment to responsible play through its world-class responsible gaming program.
 
Prior to joining Lotto NZ, Chris worked for a number of leading national retailers in the UK across a number of channels including grocery, electronics, general merchandise, and furniture. Over the years Chris has lived and worked in New Zealand, UK, USA, and Denmark.

Daniela Giuffré is an Italian Senior Police Officer experienced in anti-corruption investigations. Before joining the Italian State Police, she was a lawyer. After earning a master’s degree in Law, she also received a degree in Political Science and International Relations. 

Since early 2012, she has worked at INTERPOL in the Integrity in Sport Unit, and currently serves as its head. Furthermore, Ms. Giuffré is a member of the Match-fixing Expert Group of the European Commission and a member of the Working Group for the Implementation of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sport Competition overseen by the Council of Europe. 

In December 2015, she published a book in Italy – Game Over edited by Minerva – related to match-fixing in football. 

Declan oversees IGT's lottery business operations in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions. He provides senior executive leadership, contact and support for IGT’s customers in International.

Declan leads the provision of IGT’s technology services, business solutions, and operational management support for IGT's international lottery clients. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in gaming and information technology service sectors. Declan has spent the majority of his career specializing in the lottery sector progressing through increasing levels of responsibility in technical, project management, business development, customer account management, and executive management positions.

Declan received an Honors degree in electronic and information engineering from Queen’s University of Belfast in, Northern Ireland. He completed post-graduate programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Illinois. Declan is based with his family in Providence, Rhode Island. As well as being a very frequent global traveler has lived in multiple countries including the UK, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and the USA.

Erich Schuster is Head of the Corporate Functions Information Technologies and Innovation Management at the Casinos Austria/Austrian Lotteries Group.

Erich joined Austrian Lotteries in 1988 in the Internal Audit & Security Department, and was appointed head of this department in 1992. The department focused on compliance, regulatory and efficiency audits and the development of an information management system. In 2009, Erich was appointed to his current function as Head of Information Technologies, which includes IT operations and IT software development, as well as responsibility for IT security.

Erich has been a member of the WLA Security and Risk Management Committee since 2004.

Following various initiatives by the IOC tackling illegal and irregular betting, Friedrich Martens was appointed to the position of Head of the newly created Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS) in 2013. IBIS establishes a link between the Olympic Movement, players in the sports betting world, and various law enforcement entities. Through its pragmatic approach, it enables communication between all stakeholders in a lean and direct way, aiming at identifying and therefore safeguarding sports events from match manipulation connected to sports betting.

Prior to joining the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Friedrich was already drawn to the field of sports and betting, working for both sports organizations – two years as manager of competition analysis at FIFA’s Early Warning System, which aimed to spot patterns suggesting match fixing – and the sports betting industry – for a German gambling company and, more specifically, their sports betting company, Cashpoint.

Gilson Braga has worked for Caixa Econômica Federal since 1989. He was appointed National Superintendent of Lotteries, Caixa Econômica Federal, in 2011. In this capacity, his achievements include implementation of the first phase of the lottery’s Internet sales, and guiding Caixa to WLA SCS certification. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Braga held positions with various private companies in the financial and petrochemical sectors in Brazil.

Mr. Braga holds an MBA in marketing from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade Federal do Paraná. He has served as Vice President on the WLA Executive Committee since November 2014.

Jannie Haek is a Belgian national who was born in Torhout in 1965. He graduated from the University of Ghent with a master’s degree in Political Science, then joined the Ministry of Finance as a General Inspector. He has served as chairman of Brussels Airport’s management company NV BIAC, the government representative at the board of A.S.T.R.I.D Telecommunication, and member of the board of the Institute for Gender Equality.

His cabinet-related positions have included deputy Head of Cabinet for the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Head of Cabinet for various Vice Prime Ministers. His positions in state-owned companies include CEO of national railways NMBS Holdings, and government commissioner, member of the board, and his current position as CEO of the National Lottery of Belgium.

Jannie Haek has served on the boards of NV LSO, BOIC, NV B-Mobile, and PMV. He currently serves on the executive committee of the European Lottery Association.

He is married and lives with his wife and two daughters in Bruges.

Jean-Luc Moner-Banet is the CEO of Société de la Loterie de la Suisse Romande, one of the two state-authorized lotteries in Switzerland. Loterie Romande, which operates in the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland, enjoys an annual sales turnover of around CHF 1.6 billion (CHF 378 million in gross gaming revenue) and employs 237 people directly.

After joining Loterie Romande in 1998, Mr. Moner-Banet was appointed Deputy Director General in 2001, rising to his present position in 2007. Prior to serving at Loterie Romande, he spent a decade working in sales and marketing roles for a variety of gaming industry suppliers, including a stint as Business Development Director for Europe at GTECH Corporation.

Above and beyond his responsibilities as CEO of Loterie Romande, Mr. Moner-Banet has served the world lottery community extensively. In particular, Mr. Moner-Banet has served as President of the World Lottery Association (WLA) since 2012, and has been a member of the WLA Executive Committee since 2008. From 2009 to 2012 he served on the Executive Committee of the European Lotteries Association (EL) and from 2011 to 2012acted as Chairman of the EL Sports Committee.

Mr. Moner-Banet holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, with a focus on studies in Swiss and European politics and public administration.

Jim Kennedy serves as Executive Vice President, Group Chief Executive of Lottery and leads Scientific Games’ Lottery business worldwide. Prior to this role, Mr. Kennedy served as President, Printed Products and Chief Marketing Officer. 

Since joining Scientific Games in 1985, Jim has worked closely with customers around the world to create and execute successful lottery programs for responsible, sustainable growth. Under his leadership as Senior Vice President of Sales and Global Marketing, he was responsible for global marketing and business management for sales, customer service and creative for all of Scientific Games’ lottery businesses, during the time when the company experienced the most significant growth in its history of global instant products and related services. During Jim’s tenure at Scientific Games, he also served as Vice President of U.S. Sales and President of SGI Retail Solutions. 

Jim holds several patents, and has been recognized for his contributions to the lottery industry as the recipient of three major lottery awards, including the Major Peter J. O’Connell Lottery Industry Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Lottery Industry Hall of Fame, and the North American State and Provincial Lotteries’ Powers Award. Prior to joining Scientific Games, he worked as a systems engineer. 

Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Management Science, an MBA from the University of Colorado in Denver, and a graduate degree from Columbia Business School’s Senior Executive Program in New York City.

Jordan Gnat serves as Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development for Scientific Games.  In this role, Mr. Gnat works on complex projects around the world that require a multi-disciplinary approach that includes product, finance, government relations, and local partnerships. 

Prior to joining Scientific Games in 2011, Jordan was President and CEO of Boardwalk Gaming and Entertainment from 2004-2011 which grew to become the largest charitable gaming operator in Canada.  Mr. Gnat also served as Executive Vice-President of Kilmer Van Nostrand Company Limited from 2002-2011, and President and CEO of Midnorthern Group from 1994-2002 which grew to be the largest integrated major appliance wholesaler/retailer in Canada.

Jordan is involved in several volunteer and philanthropic organizations.  He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation in Toronto, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Foundation of Toronto, and is on the Board of Governors of Mt Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Jordan has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. At the age of 28 in 2000, he was Awarded Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award™. Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Award™ is presented to exceptional Canadians under the age of 40 who are outstanding leaders in their chosen fields and who are shaping Canada's future.

Kevin Gass is responsible for the strategic development of the lottery business unit, providing leadership and direction in support of marketing, sales and distribution of lottery brands. He has operational responsibility for staff who provide products, services and support to the corporation, its customers, and business partners. His mandate includes responsibility for the financial performance of a billion dollars in revenue and over a quarter of a billion in net income.

Kevin joined BCLC in 2003 as Vice-President of Corporate Affairs. His background includes experience in senior corporate marketing and communications positions, as well as an extensive agency background. Kevin also enjoyed entrepreneurial success in two start-up businesses.

Kevin is a past member of the board and executive committee of the Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division, United Way Cabinet, Science World Board of Directors, and was a founding board member of Canuck Place Children's Hospice.

As a specialist in performance and public management, Dr. Meyer focuses on the influence of regulation on an organization’s strategic choices and performance orientation. Her key area of interest is facilitating the process through which organizations can orient performance in relation to the regulatory environment.

Through her consultancy, Polaris - strategic foresight, Dr. Meyer serves organizations by helping them to establish their own performance dimensions and linking them to the regulatory environment. This creates a collaborative relationship between the organization and its regulator. Dr. Meyer has designed a model embracing six different performance dimensions, each composed of specific key performance indicators. By applying this model, Dr. Meyer assists in creating a better understanding of the different types of performance. Particularly in the gambling sector, an integrated, multidimensional performance model enhances an organization's transparency, strengthens its market positioning, and helps it distinguish itself from its competitors. An organization able to demonstrate a proactive, sophisticated performance – including social, environmental and legal performance, as well as financial and operational performance – wins a clear advantage over its competitors. Further, those organizations that are able to show that they both hold and measure values, such as social responsibility and transparency, will strengthen and safeguard their reputations.

Dr. Meyer also developed a unique tool, which encompasses ten different indicators and captures the regulatory intensity in which an organization operates. Her research identifies the benefit of a global approach to the analysis of the regulatory environment. She assists regulators in improving their understanding of these links and in addressing the impact of a regulation on the subject. Her work has also demonstrated that by developing a more sophisticated and proactive approach to performance, organizations gain a more meaningful and collaborative interaction with regulators and other industry actors.

Dr. Meyer obtained her PhD in Public Management from the University of Lausanne (Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration IDHEAP) in 2013. At IDHEAP, she was a key researcher in a lottery-funded project that focused on gambling regulation. In 2013, Dr. Meyer was a visiting scholar at Colombia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York City. She further holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Dr. Meyer lectures at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland and is currently project manager conducting evaluations for the Swiss parliamentary overview committee, where her main areas of focus are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Economics. She is currently involved in a study on the Swiss federal council’s participation in economic sanctions.

Dr. Meyer has made a series of academic contributions, the most recent being the book “The influence of the regulatory environment on organizational performance – the example of the sports betting and lottery sectors”, published by Haupt in 2015. 

In 2013, Marion Caspers-Merk was appointed CEO of Staatliche Toto-Lotto GmbH, which operates in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The company has 190 direct employees and, in 2015, a sales turnover of EUR 946.1 million.

Before joining Lotto Baden-Württemberg, Mrs. Caspers-Merk ran a consultancy for health policies, master plans, and organizational issues on a national and international level – for the World Health Organization among others – in the years 2010 to 2012. Prior to this, from 2005 to 2009, she was Parliamentary State Secretary for the Federal Minister for Health. Between 2002 and 2005, as well as being Parliamentary State Secretary for the Federal Minister of Health and Social Security, she was also the Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government. Mrs. Caspers-Merk was a member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, from 1990 to 2009.

Beyond her responsibilities as CEO of Staatliche Toto-Lotto GmbH in Baden-Württemberg, Mrs. Caspers-Merk has several functions within the German Toto- and Lotto-Association. She is Chairwoman of the International Committee of the German Toto- and Lotto-Association and deputy Chairwoman of the Special Committee GlücksSpirale. Concerning other organizations, she is senior advisor at Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (Health Management) and President of the German Kneipp-Bund e.V.

Ms. Caspers-Merk holds a master degree in political science, history, and German philology.

In 2012, Michelle Carinci joined Lottotech, the operator of the Loterie Nationale in Mauritius. With over 40 years of experience in lottery and gaming, Michelle has proven leadership in operations and innovation. Prior to joining Lottotech, Michelle held the position of CEO of the Atlantic Lottery for 10 years, which under her leadership was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. She has also been recognized four times as one of the top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada. 

Michelle previously held senior positions at GTECH and the British Columbia Lottery. She is an inductee into the Lottery Hall of Fame class of 2006, held an elected position on the Executive Committee of the World Lottery Association and was a founding co-chair of the responsible gaming committee that led the development of the WLA responsible gaming principles and framework.

Paul leads IGT’s Global Lottery Product Marketing department, which is responsible for defining our lottery solution and services strategies; translating our customer needs into clearly articulated solution needs and requirements; managing IGT’s lottery R&D portfolio; and working to further advance the lottery industry to meet the needs of our players and retailers.

Paul has been at IGT for over 25 years in a variety of product development and product marketing roles. He led the team that developed the ISys lottery terminal, and the first version of the Altura family of Terminals. He also led the development team for the ProSys V8 system, which formed the nucleus of IGT’s Enterprise Series lottery central and back office systems. For three years, Paul worked in IGT’s Commercial Services division, expanding the company’s offerings in Latin America and Europe. He also spearheaded IGT’s lottery interactive rollout in the United States, starting with Illinois in 2012. Paul attends numerous lottery and non-lottery tradeshows and conferences, garnering industry inputs and market needs that are used to formulate IGT’s vision for solutions to serve our customers.

As one of the Executive Directors of the Hong Kong Jockey Club since 2010, Richard Cheung leads the Customer and Marketing division which is responsible for the wagering business in racing, football, and lottery, with particular functions including betting operation control, product development, trading, marketing, customer segment management, digital experience design, and broadcasting. Richard is also in charge of the Strategic Business Development function which drives the club’s business development in China. The division has over 1,500 full-time and part-time employees.

The mission of the division is to deliver wagering experience and business results of over HKD 190 billion of wagering turnover. The club conducts its wagering business in a responsible manner under a for-charity model.

Besides daily operation, Richard is responsible for key development efforts including a HKD 7 billion+ infrastructure project on racecourses masterplan renovation development as well as a HKD 3 billion+ next generation betting system development project. He also leads the club’s efforts in various regulatory related efforts, such as combating illegal gaming and racecourse land lease negotiation.

Outside the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Richard is the Chairman of Asian-African Racing Tote Association; an executive committee member of World Lottery Association, Asia Pacific Lottery Association, and Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence; and a member of the Shanghai Chinese Overseas Friendship Association.

Prior to joining the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Richard was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, as well as a Principal in Cinven, a leading private equity firm in Europe. In both firms, he focused on the consumer and gaming sectors.

Richard has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as Baker Scholar.

Celebrating her 10th year as President/CEO of the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Rose J. Hudson continues to grow contributions for state K-12 education, recently earning the Public Gaming Research Institute’s 2015 Sharon Sharp “Good Causes” Award for having the highest percentage increase in net funds transferred to its beneficiary. Sales have skyrocketed during Hudson’s tenure, with 2016 being the lottery’s best ever.

Under her leadership, Louisiana was the first lottery in the US to receive industry verification of its quality assurance processes. Hudson currently serves as first vice president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries and has previously served as president of the Multi-State Lottery Association and chairman of its Powerball Game Group. She holds a degree in Urban Studies and Public Policy, as well as a Master’s in Public Administration and is a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resource Management.

Stéphane Pallez, President and CEO of la Française des Jeux (FDJ), currently serves on the WLA Executive Committee as representative of the European State Lotteries and Toto Association (EL). Ms. Pallez took over as President and CEO of FDJ in November 2014. She has been a member of the EL Executive Committee since December 2014 and is currently serving as EL Executive Committee's Second Vice President and Chair of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC).

Stéphane Pallez is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and ENA. She began her career in 1984 at the French Treasury Department, where she held various positions until 2004. During this period, from 1988 until 1990 she served as Deputy Director on the board of the World Bank in Washington; from 1991 until 1993, she was an adviser on industrial matters to the French Minister of the Economy and Finance; from 1995 until 1998 she was responsible for the Insurance Division at the Treasury Department; between 1998 and 2000, she was in charge of a portfolio of public shareholdings; and from 2000 until 2004 she was Head of European and International Affairs at the Treasury Department.

In 2004, she joined France Télécom-Orange as Deputy CFO and in July 2011 she became President and CEO of Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR). She holds mandates as board member of some of France’s leading listed companies, including CNP Assurances, GDF Suez (now ENGIE), and Eurazeo.

Thierry Pujol is Director of Sport Integrity at FDJ, the French National Lottery and he is also Special Advisor to the President.

An engineering graduate from Saint-Cyr Academy and Executive MBA HEC, he worked for 26 years at the French Ministry of Defense and for five years as Director of Safety and Security with the Rothschild Group.

After joining FDJ in 2005, Thierry was appointed Director of Security and Risk Management in July 2015. His new position is focused on the prevention and monitoring of manipulation of sports competitions, related to sports betting at both the national level and international one.

Thierry is the Chairman of the World Lottery Association (WLA) Security and Risk Management Committee and Vice Chair of the European Lotteries (EL) Public Order and Security Working Group. During this time, he has promoted the WLA Security Control Standard (WLA-SCS) around the world and has contributed to the development of integrity measures to combat match-fixing in relation to sports betting.

Since the beginning of 2015, he has served as Vice President on the Executive Committee of the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), an alert system and exchange of information platform for sports betting composed of 27 betting operators located all over the world.

Wang Suying graduated with a bachelor degree of Historiography and then a master degree of Business Administration. She started to work at the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China in 1989 in the areas of social welfare, charity cause, relief management, social affairs and the administration of welfare lottery successively. During her career, she participated in the drafting and amending of several laws, regulations and important documents, including the Law of the People's Republic of China on Protection of Minors, Law of the People’s Republic of China on Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women, Law of the People’s Republic of China on Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, Regulation on Lottery Administration, and Details on the Implementation of Regulation on Lottery Administration. She also led the compilation of the evaluation report on the use of welfare lottery fund from 1987 to 2013, the formulation of the 13th Five-Year Plan of China Welfare Lottery, etc.