The addition of two deputy CEOs alongside your CEO, Evgen Belousov, is a big change. How do you hope the change will benefit GR8 Tech in the long term?
Oleksandr Feshchenko: The new structure will allow Evgen to focus on more strategic things and on the company's external interaction with the market, with shareholders etc. I, on the other hand, will focus on the development of our B2B and increasing our revenue. This includes sales, marketing and the teams directly involved in generating revenue – Sportsbook Business Unit, Casino Business Unit, CRM and delivery units that ensure processes, launching customers, and so on. It will also include account management for working with clients. The fullest possible cycle of customer interaction and revenue growth.
Artur Ashyrov: For GR8 Tech, the long-term benefit will be that the merger of responsibilities Oleksandr and I have will allow us to pay more attention to the aspects of the business that need it most. It's about the synergy of different functions. In addition, an important point is that this will benefit our clients in the future because the changes give us the opportunity to focus more on providing advanced platform APIs, increasing the platform’s stability, security and product innovation.
Artur, you have been with the company for over four years now, what excites you most about the opportunity of holding two executive roles at GR8?
AA: Previously, as a CTO, I often dove into various aspects that were not part of my functional vertical (such as security or people) simply because I was very interested in it and wanted to contribute. Now, it is actually formalised as my area of responsibility. I am now officially responsible for technology, products, security and people.
This excites me a lot because it clearly proves the value of my initiatives and ideas
Your CEO, Evgen Belousov, is said to be stepping back from the operations side to focus on other areas. What does this mean for the company? Do you expect to inherit his operational duties directly?
OF: Yes, some operational responsibilities are already being transferred from the CEO to us. First of all, working with the top clients. To some extent, this also applies to external activities, such as interaction with the board and stakeholders. For Evgen, this allows him to spend more time focusing on the future and development.
AA: Indeed, what it also means is that where there used to be more Evgen Belousov in operational matters, there will now be more of me and Oleksandr. At the same time, we also don't need to be stuck at a purely operational level. We have already built strong teams and a structure that we can rely on in most ongoing matters.
OF: That's right, and the main thing is to set up the maximum performance of this system so that each element works to its full potential – especially in everything related to launching new clients and developing current ones to help our clients and partners make money with us.
There was talk of GR8 expanding toward LatAm at ICE earlier this year – what can you tell us about these expansion plans and how your involvement may differ now that you have taken up these new positions?
OF: LatAm is one of the key regions that everyone's attention is focused on. There is a big transformation across many of its markets. Most operators and countries are moving from offshore operations to local licences. This is happening now in Brazil. I won't say the process is going smoothly; there is a lot of uncertainty from the operators' perspective, our current customers. We, as a platform, keep our finger on the pulse of market developments and are in constant contact with operators.
We are ready to provide compliant solutions in different markets in the region and grow with both our existing customers and new ones
AA: One of our strongest offerings is geo-specific solutions tailored to different markets - Asia, Africa, and, of course, LatAm. My involvement here has increased, as my area of responsibility now combines both the product level and the technology behind the product.
Oleksandr, you have held the role of Chief Revenue Officer at multiple organisations now – what do you think is a key aspect of the role that you hope to bring to your Deputy CEO position?
OF: The key point here, I think, is taking some responsibility both with regard to the CEO and to the Board. GR8 Tech has already achieved several important milestones, has about 15 signed clients and about a dozen launched ones. Now, the main challenge we face is to learn how to grow together with our clients: to increase revenues and enter new markets. Geo-specific solutions, which Arthur mentioned, will play a big role here, making it much easier and faster for our clients to develop their business in different regions.
Are there any upcoming innovations within your original roles of CTO (Artur) and CRO (Oleksandr) that you are excited to reveal to customers in the second half of 2024?
AA: At the technology level, I want to make any integration cheaper for the client. This means moving towards an open platform with many APIs, tools, capabilities for modifying the product, etc. In addition, we are already moving towards making specific platform setups for the clients in the geo where they need it. We are also exploring the possibilities of expanding our line of products not only in terms of different regions but also for different categories of clients, for example, the crypto industry.
OF: We have a very robust modular platform that allows us to deliver these modules both separately and together, customising the product to meet specific needs. Within the revenue stream, we also continue to work on optimising earning opportunities with different products. For example, we have developed a powerful Sportsbook iFrame solution by integrating a bonus engine that allows our clients to effectively run bonus campaigns, drive traffic and engage players, which is a big competitive advantage compared to other iFrame products in the market. We are also launching Casino Aggregation with several signed clients, and we will continue to use and hone this product. In other words, we are currently trying different directions that will maximise the revenues for our customers.
GR8 Tech CBDO Yevhen Krazhan also recently joined us for a Huddle interview on AI, LatAm, Asia and more.
