Our Pretty Brilliant Team features our Director of Operations, Tom. During our interview with Tom, we explored his key responsibilities and experiences at Pretty Technical, highlighting significant examples of operational improvements and innovations, as well as the essential qualities and skills required in order to be successful.

Can you describe your role as the Director of Operations at Pretty Technical and the key responsibilities you manage on a daily basis?
I oversee much of our day-to-day activity; our project and deliveries, their prioritisation and resourcing as well as our customer’s satisfaction. Amongst other things in our dynamic, fast paced business!

What are you currently most curious about in the tech industry as it relates to iGaming, and how do you see it shaping the future of Pretty Technical?
Besides the obvious candidate, AI, I’m particularly interested in personalisation and curation. The online gaming landscape is increasingly competitive meaning operators and suppliers alike need to be more innovative and creative than ever.

In real terms that means that, for example, an operator’s UX has to be at the forefront of their thinking. A cookie-cutter sportsbook is, in hyper competitive markets, no longer sufficient and operators need to find suppliers who can offer them flexibility and control.

Equally, suppliers providing solutions need to consider that a traditional white label “one-for-all” approach may not offer the USPs their customers need, and accordingly their technical solutions need to be built with adaptability and extensibility in mind.

Can you share some examples of operational improvements or innovations you have introduced at Pretty Technical that have significantly impacted the company’s performance or customer satisfaction?
When I joined Pretty Technical, we were just a few people working toward one goal: to create Mikado – a Player Account Management platform in its Minimum Viable Product form. As we achieved that goal and began to launch customer instances and curate it to their needs, we began to expand our team and product suite at a rapid pace. In 2021 we delivered multiple significant projects and initiatives, as well as became the first to certify a Control Database for the new Netherlands market with our new product Domino.

This new landscape of the business demanded that I put in place systems and processes to underpin our ways of working. I’m a very passionate advocate for the agile manifesto and I used these principles in creating the framework for how we work that we still observe today. We value collaboration (and, frankly, being good people) over haggling over the fine print of a contract’s assumptions table. We prioritise what delivers most value rather than a Gantt chart we made a year ago.

It is these principles that, I feel, set us apart from others. Being “agile” is not about running sprints, it’s culture. We don’t just talk about being “agile” – we live that philosophy and it is that which drives customer satisfaction. 

What is the most significant lesson you’ve learned during your time at Pretty Technical since joining as one of the initial employees in 2020? Is there anything you are particularly proud of accomplishing?
Generally speaking, I’m really proud of how we have grown and how, for the most part, the team which existed in mid-2020 still exists in mid-2024. That speaks to our strong culture. We have all been on this journey together and as such there is a real sense of camaraderie in our team that I like to think extends to the relationships we have with our partners and clients too.

I am particularly proud of Domino in 2020 and 2021. To certify our Control Database first and launch with the initial batch of new licensees was a tremendous achievement. This has provided the foundation for all the new markets and clients we have worked with since, and ultimately paved the way for Pretty Technical to become an industry leader in the data vault space.

The rest of 2024 is set to be momentous. We have a number of upcoming launches, including with Mikado in the UK!

What qualities or skills do you believe are most important for someone in your role to be successful?
Dynamism and critical thought. It’s imperative that somebody is able to wear multiple hats and support all aspects of software development: people, technology, process, and that those things are underpinned with a can-do, problem solving attitude.

If you’d like to work with Tom and our team why not take a look at our Careers page and send an email to [email protected]. If you’d like to find out more about Pretty Technical products and services please use our Contact Form.