To start Hammon Advisory, you first had to leave your role as CEO of Relax Gaming. What was that leap of faith like?
The decision to leave Relax as CEO was an extremely tough one. Relax was a company myself and the team had poured a great deal of passion and love into but I felt that I had achieved what I had set out. When I joined the company had very solid core elements and we were lucky to be afforded the freedom to create and build the company in which we achieved above expectations. Ultimately, I felt it was time to move on and let the company grow in its next strategic journey which also requires allowing others to take the mantle and take it forward.
I had for many years considered what I would like to be doing and setting up Hammon Advisory was a natural step. It's always daunting launching your own dedicated service offering but with the experience over the years and position I am in I felt it was a great time to assist others achieve their goals. In short, yes, a leap of faith, even if it was more like a small natural step.
What was the process of setting up Hammon Advisory like?
Like anyone who looks to set up their own operation it can be daunting at first and you don’t have the assistance of an established company to fall back on. The set up is of course quite formulaic, with some assistance from lawyers of course. The process was more defined for me by me assessing what I want to be doing now with my time and how I can best leverage my experience.
My only real goal is to get to work with those in the industry who are passionate about what they do, desire to change and challenge the status quo and succeed
Your goal is to work at an advisory capacity or board level. What does that look like to you?
I have been lucky enough to be approached by many different companies and sizes all with different wants, needs or positions. Central to the service is to provide high level guidance rather that a client can hopefully take on board to potentially steer a new direction or build upon what’s working. Some companies are looking for more corporate governance and guidance at a board level than operational, others are looking to try solve particular issues or challenges and others are looking to sanity check and just have a good strategic sparring partner. I am happy to do all levels of service as long as I can comfortably assign the right dedication and time.
How do you think your experiences so far in the gaming industry have set you up to be a successful advisor?
I have 20 years of experience in B2B gaming and have had to work across the field in many areas not just from a product perspective. I am hoping that broad experience can be applied to many in the gaming industry, even outside the B2B sphere. I have been fortunate working with the likes of NetEnt and Relax in periods of rapid growth in which core principles can be applied to many businesses.
What do you feel may be your biggest challenges to overcome in this role?
Time will be the biggest challenge. Like any company I have worked with I want to give the full attention it deserves, you are dealing with something highly important and precious to the key stakeholders and that deserves due respect. Every company has its own challenges and that can of course take adaptation to ensure you approach with the right mindset.
Do you have an overall goal for Hammon Advisory? Or certain milestones you want to reach?
I don’t have any milestones in mind. My only real goal is to get to work with those in the industry who are passionate about what they do, desire to change and challenge the status quo and succeed. That energy inspires me and fuels me to do my best for them.
