{"podcast":{"title":"The iGaming Leader","slug":"the-igaming-leader-7100266","podcast_index_feed_id":7100266,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-igaming-leader","website_url":"https://www.igamingleader.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/p_66xt8SvQqZJ1aZxk8F1xFxVlpsh9f4siiOobOvnIY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNTg1/MTBkYjJjNjA5MTU2/ZWFkZDc3OGI4MDgx/NDRmOC5wbmc.jpg","author":"Leo Judkins, Founder - iGaming Leader Mastermind","episode_count":58,"summary":"The iGaming Leader is hosted by Leo Judkins, founder of The iGaming Leader Mastermind. Every other week, Leo sits down with Founders, C-suite executives, and VPs from across the iGaming industry for conversations you won't hear on a conference panel. The real decisions. The hard calls. What leadership actually looks like from the inside. No keynote polish. No PR answers. Just honest conversations between people who know the industry. New episodes every other Wednesday.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T12:17:34.597807+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266"},"episode":{"title":"From Affiliate Manager to CMO — Leading Through Crisis, Regulation & Restructure","slug":"from-affiliate-manager-to-cmo-leading-through-crisis-regulation-restructure","published_at":"2026-01-17T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/from-affiliate-manager-to-cmo-leading-through-crisis-regulation-restructure","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/6b921891","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/6b921891/8c4d98b2.mp3","summary":"In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Elen Barber, who went from affiliate manager to CMO at Kindred in just nine years, to explore what it really takes to lead through the industry's toughest challenges. Elen shares the brutal reality of her first weeks as CMO: facing a £100 million fine, Swedish re-regulation, plummeting share price, and multiple rounds of restructuring that forced her to make impossible decisions about people she'd worked alongside for years. She reveals how she kept 550 people motivated while simultaneously having to cut headcount, and why the loneliness at the top hit harder than she expected. About Elen Barber Elen Barber has been working in the gaming industry for over 20 years and has witnessed its evolution from the wild west days to today's highly regulated landscape. She's held CMO roles at Super Group and Kindred Group, managing teams across multiple countries and dealing with everything from new market launches to regulatory curveballs. Based in London, she's passionate about how this industry continues to reinvent itself. Key Topics Discussed 00:00 - Elen Barbers iGaming Journey 03:00 - Creating your own opportunities: you can't wait for your manager 08:00 - Why the higher you go, the lonelier it gets (and how to handle it) 14:00 - Wearing different hats: the two-chair technique for managing emotions 18:00 - Building trust: having your team's back and showing your true nature 22:00 - The worst crisis in company history hits in week one as CMO 26:00 - Managing multiple restructures while keeping people motivated 34:00 - Life after Kindred: why career breaks aren't always roses 36:00 - The pressure of being a perfect parent, perfect exec, perfect everything 41:00 - Quick fire Q&A: leadership advice, mistakes,…","meta_description":"In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Elen Barber, who went from affiliate manager to CMO at Kindred in just nine years, to ex…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2589,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-igaming-leader-7100266/episodes/from-affiliate-manager-to-cmo-leading-through-crisis-regulation-restructure/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/from-affiliate-manager-to-cmo-leading-through-crisis-regulation-restructure.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}