‘With the right culture, anything is possible’ – Betsson’s Monica Stjerna on the company’s priorities

For Betsson Group’s head of product development global initiatives, Monica Stjerna, a good employee culture is imperative for success, because “with a good culture, anything is possible.”

Speaking during this week’s iteration of Betsson’s by-weekly panel show, ‘Betsson Live’, Ms Stjerna, alongside senior software engineer Mer Iskender, provided an insight into what their job entails, what they like about Betsson, and how they got into the iGaming industry.

In the case of Ms Stjerna, she has been working at Betsson for eight months, and is so far “loving it.” I

She does acknowledge that her experience with the leading iGaming company has not been without challenge, but this suits her well, she says.

The decision to join the company and the iGaming industry more generally, came when she saw an advert on social media for her current role, and realised that her broad previous experience fit the role perfectly.

When choosing to apply for the role, Betsson’s obvious focus on creating a strong culture was also of paramount importance, she adds.

Mr Iskender has been at Betsson for a little longer – just under four years, having traveled to Sweden from Turkey in 2016 for another position.

Just a year later, he saw a job advert from Betsson and thought he’d “give it a try.”

He explains that Betsson’s particularly stellar reputation in Turkey is one of the reasons he applied to work at the company, as it meant he knew it well.

After being offered a position he moved to Stockholm, taking advantage of the company’s helpful relocation package, which included providing accommodation for him while he settled in to the location.

One of his favourite parts of Betsson is how international its workforce is, with over 60 nationalities, meaning there are lots of things to be learned.

On the topic of hiring, the host, Alice Nordin asked what the pair what they believe the most important characteristics for employees would be.

Ms Stjerna answers: “You need to have the skills for the role, of course, but aside from this, people need to have the mindset to fit in to the culture.”

“iGaming is a rapid moving industry, so we’re a rapid moving company,” she points out, adding that Betsson looks for candidates comfortable working in its international environment.

“We look both for candidates that can bring their experience to bear and contribute, and people new to the industry who want to grow with the company.”

With regards to the recruitment process itself, she explains that the company aims for efficiency, looking to prioritise speed, both for the good of the company and for the applicant.

Looking to the future, Ms Stjerna explains that Betsson is prepared to continue expanding in new and old markets, to her excitement.

With staff returning to the office after the impact of the pandemic, she adds that the company is implementing its hybrid work model, which allows staff to spend two days weekly in the office, and three days working remotely.