Louise Eaton

Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Louise Eaton. I'm the Studio Operations Manager here at Betway and part of the Creative team, which falls under the technology department.

What initially drew you to Betway?

Particularly the role. I saw that it was a part of the Studio team, and it was very clear that it was a role I could make my own. I had previous experience of bringing lots of teams together, and Betway were keen on bringing a wider remit of the studio together.

Originally the role was only looking after Design, but I wanted to incorporate Copy and Translations as well, as they are all part of the same creative process. I knew I could sink my teeth into this project and bring about meaningful change, however challenging it may be.

Aside from this, I also really liked the vibe of the company, the atmosphere in the office is great so it ticked lots of boxes!

How has your career developed at Betway?

After joining and during the pandemic, I was so busy, it felt like I was head down in work for about three years! But during all of this, I knew I had lots of plans for how I wanted to develop the role, as I was a single person doing the function on my own.

I wanted to manage a team of people, I wanted to be a manager. The business completely responded to that and enabled me to do so. I now have a team of five project managers, which shows how much Betway are willing to listen and encourage development and change, they have completely supported my growth.

I also feel like I have personally changed at Betway. In my time here I feel like I have developed in so many ways, it hasn’t all been linear growth. There have been times I have felt a little out of my depth, and we are constantly thrown challenges. This has grown my soft skills, which has impacted every element of my life. I have had a breadth of learning and development I’ve achieved here.

What is a typical day at work like for you?

A huge part of my role is looking after my team. It’s very important to me that we have a good team morale. Everyone can lean on each other, we’re very close with one another, and we’re respectful of everyone’s different skills.

Our team is in a very special position, we are at a fantastic vantage point where we work with every area of the business, so we get an understanding of how the business works because we are involved in so many projects. It’s an important part of my role to help my team and coach them to deal with any potentially difficult conversations or situations.

There’s also constant change around us, so I’m always working to make sure my team are in the best position to adapt to these changes and embrace them.

Whilst looking at the bigger picture, we also have to make sure that the small details are done. We manage around 700 projects a month, and the team make sure they’re all delivered. We manage the outsourcing of translations, the scheduling for the projects, making sure the production is complete.

As we sit under the Technology umbrella, my main focus this year is how we can align closer with the Dev, Product, QA and Data teams. Recently, we completed a brand-new process for delivery and tech on how to manage their projects, which is something that my team worked on, created and developed. We will be continuing on from that and looking to enhance it.

To tie it all up, lots of meetings, lots of conversations, lots of “how can we do this?” and finding solutions!

How has Betway changed in your time here?

It’s changed quite a bit! I joined just on the cusp of a massive growth. It was initially a bit chaotic (in a nice way!) The business had increased in size, so we were extremely busy as we were growing with the business.

Looking back, I think it feels a lot calmer now! It feels a lot more focused, which is great for me coming from an Operational point of view, you need firm hooks to be able to get on with projects.

My first three years was spent embedding a new scheduling process for the business in terms of getting content produced. Part of this was influencing the designers to include Copy and Translations into the process, which meant we had full autonomy over the design cycle.

While initially it was a bit of a hard sell for some, now the process is so smooth and it couldn’t have been done without my team and everyone supporting the changes, so we feel a lot more cohesive and productive.

What makes Betway so special?

There’s always a challenge, and I like a challenge! I like the fact the business is constantly changing; you can start somewhere and finish somewhere completely different. The change excites me, and really keeps me interested, I like having something new to overcome.

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

I think it’s quite cool! We have some great people, there’s no difficult people to deal with; I’m proud to call them my colleagues!

Everybody’s voice is heard, the directors are not removed from you and in their own offices, they will come and talk to you, sit on your floor, work with you directly and ask for your opinions on projects. They are totally invested and interested in your voice and point of view.

Can you list the most challenging but exciting aspects of your role?

I think the constant change. As a manager I’ve done a lot of training on change management and how to coach people through change.

I am always mindful of reactions, try to be empathetic, see where they are coming from, how what is being suggested could affect their day to day, and how it could make them feel. I do enjoy that challenge, as I feel like it is something I am naturally quite good at, so it is nice to be able to use it in my role.

Similarly, I’m doing a lot of data reporting for Capacity Reporting, it’s challenging but I enjoy it. When doing reviews of the last six months, while I know I’m going to be knee deep in data for a week or so, I enjoy the process and enjoy seeing the results at the end of it.

The role I have means my challenges are multi-faceted, but it keeps me on my toes and allows me to use different areas of my skillset, but that’s what makes the role so much more satisfying.

What is your favourite project you have worked on at Betway?

We did a rebrand of the Sports product look and feel, where we overhauled everything and introduced the swarm to all of our assets. That was mass production, but I loved the project.

When you have a project that is so much work but have a hard deadline, a lot of people will feel anxious towards it, but I feel like I come alive in those situations. I can break it down into different components, and then build a picture that will help everyone understand follow and achieve the delivery, which is a huge success for everybody.

I like the comradery it built in the team as well. There are hard times during these sorts of projects, but my team were amazing. Everyone rolled their sleeves up, got on with it, encouraged everyone and also offered help once they had completed their parts.

Without giving too much away, what can we look forward to from you and your team in the future?

A major aim is to ensure and maintain closer alignment with our Tech teams. We want to make sure our reporting is similar, and talking the same language.

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

Authenticity. Ambitious. Diversity

Authenticity is one of my key values, it is very important to me. Betway always feels authentic and I really appreciate that. The way we did things last year might not be the same as they are this year, and I like that.

I love the company’s ambition and the fact they are constantly changing, looking to adapt to the marketplace, and looking at new things.

I like the fact we have a cultural diversity, but also because I can be diverse in the skills I use. My role isn’t just one thing, it is multi-faceted, so it allows me to use a wider range of skills

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

It has to be the people. Everything we do starts with somebody doing it. We work together to achieve our goals and celebrate together when we achieve them. Having someone thank you for your hard work is always a nice feeling, so everything in the business begins and ends with the people.