When Fiona Hickey decided to leave her deeply cultivated position at Betting Jobs in 2019, after nine years, to join Push Gaming as a supplier-side novice with no experience, almost everyone around her cast puzzled looks. She gave up a well-paid, stable director position, voluntarily accepted a significant pay cut, and ventured into a completely unfamiliar field. Six years later, Hickey has proven as the CEO and Managing Director of Games Inc that her choice was not reckless but a core tenet repeatedly validated throughout her career—always bet on yourself to win. She condensed the key insight from this career transformation into one sentence: Setting aside your pride to ask seemingly stupid questions is precisely the key to unlocking the door to success.
From recruitment veteran to supplier newcomer, the courage to cut off the comfort zone
Hickey's industry start, like most online gambling practitioners, was filled with coincidences. After leaving Ireland in 2010, she joined the top recruitment agency in the online gambling sector, Betting Jobs, where she spent nine successful years climbing to the senior leadership. She built solid industry connections and reputation, mastered all recruitment processes, but was almost a novice regarding the actual operations on the supplier side. After joining Push Gaming, she realized her initial understanding of the job was almost naive. She thought negotiating business terms and signing contracts was the end of the task, completely unaware of what integrated integration meant, nor did she anticipate the fierce competition for promotional spots for each game launch, or the immense pressure involved.
But the one thing she was sure of was that she would eventually figure it out. Throughout her career, Hickey repeatedly chose to believe in herself. She admits that the desire to learn is half the success. During her tenure at Push Gaming, the company went through a complete growth curve from a small studio to being acquired by a giant, expanding from about forty-five employees with no existing integrations to about three hundred people with eighty direct integrations and hundreds of partners in regulated markets. She attributes this experience's core gain to a rarely discussed ability—fearlessness in asking seemingly stupid questions.
Tearing off the label of self-esteem, asking questions is the most efficient learning tool
After taking the helm at Games Inc, the Chief Technology Officer often needed to explain technical details to her, and she would interrupt to ask what a term meant. She found that truly worthy people to learn from will never look down on you for not knowing something, but they will certainly fault you for not asking for help, which could avoid mistakes. She emphasizes that the online gambling industry may seem fiercely competitive, but the high-level interactions are not as tense as outsiders might imagine, but rather filled with collaboration and mutual assistance. Many colleagues frequently communicate privately, supporting each other and sharing insights, but this support only comes to those brave enough to reach out first.
For those just entering the industry or in the middle of their careers seeking a breakthrough, Hickey offers practical advice. Never be the smartest person in the room; if you find yourself to be, leave that room as soon as possible. Never be afraid to make yourself redundant; hiding your skills and knowledge benefits no one, sharing them benefits the team. If you are no longer needed in one company, you will almost certainly find a new position in another. Keep curious and enjoy the industry. Online gambling is full of talented people; it encourages risk-taking and exploration, and you cannot fake genuine passion. Hickey reminds newcomers that this industry has given her the opportunity to participate in exciting events, converse with intelligent people, and find laughter in work, a rarity in many industries.
PASA official website continues to focus on the career development and talent dynamics of the online gambling industry, noting Hickey's career trajectory from recruitment to supplier to management, providing a valuable reference for cross-sector transformation in the field. As more practitioners seek breakthroughs between sub-sectors, daring to admit ignorance in unfamiliar areas and replacing pretense with questions may be more valuable than any skill certificate.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
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PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
