Ilja Schoofs

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Ilja and I’m the Operations Manager for Belgium.

What initially drew you to Betway?

I moved here five and a half years ago and started applying for all kinds of jobs but predominantly junior brand manager roles.

One day a recruiter called me up and said I could do an interview the day after for a CRM role at Win Technologies. The interview went very well, I loved my hiring manager and the team I joined. I’ve loved my journey at Betway so far and here I am five years later!

How has your career developed at Betway?

I started as a CRM Executive for Belgium and after about a year was promoted to Senior CRM Executive. Not even three months later I started as Country Executive for Belgium, which was very much a mix of operational and marketing responsibilities.

In the beginning of 2022, I was promoted to my current role, so it’s been quite the journey, but one I have really enjoyed!

How have you found the transitions from role to role?

At times, I definitely felt like it was the right time and that I was ready for the next step, whereas other times it was a challenge and pushed me.

It was a bit nerve-racking on occasions, but now I’m so much more confident and comfortable in myself, my role, and my abilities. I’ve grown and learnt so much over the past five years; I learn something new basically every day!

What is a typical day at work like for you?

It’s pretty varied, I manage an SEO executive and a CRM executive, so I check in with them on a daily basis to see what they have on their planner for that day and week and help them out where needed.

Then for my own job, it’s a lot of product testing, assist and take the lead on getting projects running and inevitably have meetings with teams from all over Betway to see what they have on the roadmap that might be interesting for the Belgium market.

I also have a lot of reports I look into on a daily basis to see our operation is going. We’re a very hands-on team so tasks could vary from anything from translations or proofreading marketing to transactional emails that all needs to be done.

How have you found the aspect of having people report into you, and what has your approach been to becoming a manager?

It felt like a natural move for me, but I was nervous initially. As it was the first time I was managing somebody, I didn’t want to feel like I was dependent on them and their specialties too much, and also learn how to manage them and work with them effectively. But my team are great and have been really receptive to me; overall I’ve loved the process!

How has Betway changed in your time here?

Coming back to the office regularly has been great for me as I feel like I know more of the newer people again and I feel closer to everyone I work with. For my job it is very beneficial to know a lot of people so I’m really enjoying being back in the office.

How have you changed in your time here?

As I mentioned, I’m a lot more confident now, not just in my work but in myself. I joined Betway with only very minor experiences of working and presenting from my time at university and during some internships.

Now I’ve become a much better communicator, I’ve learnt how to present effectively, and how to report and analyse data well. With these improvements, the confidence came alongside it.

What has kept you here?

Betway gave me my first job in London, and being alone in a new country I really felt like I had a home away from home in my team. I’m working in an amazing team of international people: Italian, Danish, French, Greek, Spanish.

They have become my best friends to this day, so I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot! I’ve been very lucky with my managers and my progression in the company, it’s been an amazing personal and professional journey for me.

How does it feel to be a part of the Betway team?

It’s a team full of fun, talented and driven people, and I’m very glad to be a part of it. I feel very comfortable here, Betway values your opinion.

What 3 words would you use to describe Betway to potential new starters?

Fun. Growing. Opportunities.

There’s a very fun culture at Betway, there is always something going on in terms of social events for us as colleagues and they are always great! The company is constantly growing and allows us to grow alongside with it, as there’s always opportunities for growth and development which I have personally benefited hugely from, and I am very grateful for these opportunities.

You have 30 seconds, what makes working at Betway so good?

The people, the culture, and the opportunities (I feel like I’ve said it about 20 times in this piece!). My time here has been very special and the people I have met on the way have had such a positive impact on me and my journey here so far!