Leading Recruiters in the Global iGaming Industry
Meet the top global iGaming recruiters, their successes, clients, and specializations – and discover a cost-effective alternative: hiring talent via EchoGlobal Tech. ↓
Below is a list (in no particular order) of some of the most prominent recruiters in the global iGaming sector.
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Jennifer Innes
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Alastair Cleland
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Duarte Amado
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Emma Clayton-Wright
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Jon Arnold
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Andrew Bulloss
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Cosmo Currey
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Marwa Mitchell
These include TA leaders at specialized recruitment firms and executive headhunters. For each person, we outline their current role, notable achievements or clients, public presence, and geographic focus.
Jennifer Innes
Photo: bettingjobs.com
Jennifer was the 1st female hire at BettingJobs and rose to become its CEO, helping shape the firm over nearly 2 decades into a global leader in iGaming recruitment.
She was named among iGamingBusiness’s 10 Most Influential Women in Gaming 2024 and was even shortlisted for CEO of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards. Under her leadership, BJobs has expanded worldwide and built a massive online presence (the company’s LinkedIn page tops 200K followers). Innes is very active publicly – she shares industry insights on LI and has spoken on expert panels such as the Women in Gaming conference sessions.
While based in the UK, she oversees recruitment projects spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
- Linkedin: Jennifer Innes
Alastair Cleland
Photo: yogonet.com
Alastair heads Pentasia, widely regarded as the world’s leading online betting and iGaming recruitment agency.
He is responsible for Pentasia’s global recruitment operations – spanning Europe, North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific – as well as its sister companies in the Conexus Group (such as Headcount Recruitment and Marden Executive Search). With 20+ years of recruitment experience, Cleland has a strong track record of building teams and delivering toptalent. He frequently shares market insight (for example, contributing commentary to industry salary benchmark reports), and can often be seen at major iGaming events representing Pentasia.
Based in the UK, he oversees talent acquisition strategy for clients worldwide, keeping a pulse on hiring trends across all major iGaming hubs.
- Linkedin: Alastair Cleland
Duarte Amado
Amado is the Portuguese-born co-founder and chief executive of the Connections Group, which includes Betting Connections, one of Malta’s largest iGaming recruitment agencies, and its sister brand SpotOn Connections.
He launched the company in the early 2010s by combining his iGaming industry knowledge with recruitment expertise. Under Amado’s leadership, the group has expanded to 5 offices (in Malta, Gozo, Spain, Portugal and beyond) with over 70 recruiters split into 15+ teams. This network services not only online gambling companies but also related sectors (SpotOn was created to recruit for finance, tech, legal roles outside pure gaming).
Amado is a highly visible figure in the Maltese iGaming community – he often shares hiring trends and advice in local media. His geographic focus is EMEA, especially the Mediterranean iGaming hub in Malta, though his teams recruit internationally across Europe and other regions.
- Linkedin: Duarte Amado
Emma Clayton-Wright
Emma has been an iGaming recruitment specialist for over 17 years.
She started as an internal recruiter at PartyGaming in 2004 and later founded EyeSpy Recruitment in 2009. Teaming up with her sister Jo, she grew EyeSpy into a trusted recruitment partner for global iGaming companies, building a reputation for delivering talent to FTSE-listed operators, high-growth startups, and everything in between. EyeSpy has helped fill roles at major industry players – for example, they’ve consulted for giants like GVC (now Entain), William Hill, and Ladbrokes Coral during mergers and expansions. Emma leads EyeSpy’s business development worldwide and often represents the firm at industry conferences and events.
She splits her time between Gibraltar and the UK, and her recruiting reach spans the European online gambling hubs (Gibraltar, Malta, UK) as well as other markets.
- Linkedin: Emma Clayton-Wright
Jon Arnold
Photo: egr.global
Arnold is an executive headhunter who leads Arnold Ash, a boutique recruitment and talent advisory firm specializing in betting and iGaming.
He has 20+ years of experience placing senior leaders in the industry. In 2024, his firm’s excellence was recognized when Arnold Ash won “Recruiter of the Year” at the EGR B2B Awards, a top honor in the gaming B2B sector. Jon Arnold and his team have built a strong track record serving high-profile clients – they support the hiring of preeminent senior talent for companies such as Gaming Innovation Group (GiG), Stake.com, EveryMatrix, YOLO Group, and others. Arnold is also active in the iGaming community: he frequently contributes to discussions on industry podcasts and media (for example, appearing on the iGamingFM show to talk about talent trends).
Based in London, he conducts executive searches globally, often for C-level and specialist roles in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
- Linkedin: Jon Arnold
Andrew Bulloss
The Keys to iGaming Leadership Roles.
Andrew is one of the leading executive search consultants in the gambling sector.
He heads the dedicated global gaming & gambling practice at Odgers Berndtson, a top international search firm. In this role, he specializes in recruiting C-suite and board-level executives for major iGaming operators, online lottery/sports betting companies, and gaming technology providers worldwide. Odgers Berndtson’s gaming practice (led by Bulloss) is noted as unique among global search firms for its exclusive focus on senior gaming appointments. Bulloss himself has an extensive track record of handling CEO, MD, and director searches across Europe, the US, and Asia for both industry giants and emerging players. He is based in London, UK but works globally.
In addition to headhunting, Andrew Bulloss is a thought leader on talent in iGaming – he often shares insights via industry publications and was featured in interviews/panels discussing leadership trends in the sector (for example, he has spoken about i-Gaming leadership evolution on the iGaming Leader video series).
- Linkedin: Andrew Bulloss
Cosmo Currey
Photo: linkedin.com
Cosmo is a prominent recruiter who helped found Van Kaizen in 2019 as a new approach to iGaming recruitment.
He and his co-founders saw the need for a true head-hunting focused agency in the online gaming space. Van Kaizen’s model proved successful: within 18 months they grew from just 3 staff to 21 recruiters across nine jurisdictions (from the USA to the Philippines). This rapid expansion gave Van Kaizen possibly the broadest global footprint of any iGaming recruitment firm despite its young age. Currey, as Head of TA, continues to drive Van Kaizen’s growth connecting top talent with iGaming and fintech companies. He has emphasized building an elite network of independent headhunters who actively seek out candidates, rather than relying on job boards.
Currey has a strong public presence for a newer entrant – he has discussed hiring trends and the firm’s journey in industry media interviews. Operating from the Isle of Man and the UK, he coordinates a team spread across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Americas.
- Linkedin: Cosmo Currey
- Instagram: @cosmocurrey
Marwa Mitchell
She launched and led Pentasia’s US recruitment operations for a decade, establishing a strong foothold as online gambling and sports betting rapidly expanded in the US post-2018.
From 2012 to 2022 she served as VP of Recruitment for Pentasia North America, during which Pentasia became a go-to talent provider for new American iGaming operators and suppliers. Marwa’s work was pivotal in helping major sportsbook and casino brands staff up in newly regulated states – her passion and expertise positioned Pentasia to capitalize on the post-PASPA boom. In mid-2022 she transitioned to a strategic role as a Non-Executive Board Director for the Conexus Group, continuing to lend her insight. Mitchell keeps a lower public profile than some (focusing on client work over conference speaking), but she has shared expert commentary on US hiring challenges in venues like industry surveys – for example, noting the visa talent crunch as sportsbooks scramble to scale up.
Based in the Washington, DC area, she specializes in the North American iGaming and sports betting sector, connecting U.S. and international talent with opportunities across the country.
- Linkedin: Marwa Mitchell
- X (Twitter): marwamitchell
Wrap Up
Each of these renowned recruiters has significantly shaped talent acquisition in iGaming by founding specialist agencies, sourcing top executives, and pioneering entry into new markets. However, partnering with these industry leaders can be challenging – they’re often fully booked or super expensive.
A practical alternative is hiring great iGaming tech experts through EchoGlobal, where we combine deep industry insight and extensive networks to efficiently connect you with the right talent.
Anastasia Kizyma