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The POWER 10

The GamblingIQ Power 10 (2026 edition), recognises the women redefining leadership across the global gambling industry. Selection is grounded in evidence, not visibility; measured by commercial impact, strategic execution, regulatory judgment and the ability to scale organisations under pressure. Those featured are not defined by titles or ceremony, but by sustained performance, decision-making clarity and influence felt across markets.


Read GamblingIQ 'Run the World: The Next Generation of Women leaders 2026' magazine here:

  1. LEAH Spears


Newly appointed Marketing Director at Paddy Power, Leah is stepping into the role after driving some of the brand’s most memorable recent work. A creative, commercially focused marketer, she previously served as Head of Brand and then Head of Brand Strategy, where she helped sharpen Paddy Power’s irreverent tone and expand its presence beyond sport. Spears led the push into non-sports TV sponsorships, including Channel 4’s First Dates, and oversaw high-impact campaigns around football, horse racing and world darts.

Website: PaddyPower.com

2. CIARA Nic Liam

Ciara Nic Liam serves as Entain PLC’s Managing Director of Gaming, directing product, technology and operational strategy across a multi-market global portfolio. Her career sits at the intersection of product, commercial strategy and customer behaviour, delivering high-impact launches and transformation programmes. She launched Paddy Power’s first mobile casino, rebuilt William Hill’s live casino proposition and centralised Betsson’s global operations — experiences that sharpened her ability to move quickly, simplify complexity and make decisions that balance innovation with commercial reality. At Entain she oversees in-house game studios, global content and product strategy, bringing cross-disciplinary teams together to solve for outcomes rather than process. A visible advocate for women in business, Ciara mentors, judges industry awards and speaks about balancing senior leadership with parenthood, actively supporting the next generation of talent.


Website:  EntainGroup.com

3. IRINA Cornides

With an iGaming career that stretches back to 2004 where she led VIP marketing for PartyGaming, Irina Cornides is now responsible for one of the most complex operational engines in global iGaming. Serving as Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, she joined the company four years ago in January 2022 after a string of senior commercial roles across the sector, including CCO for Asia & ROW at Gamesys, Mandalay Media and BGO Group. Irina focuses on aligning product, commercial and market-entry activity with disciplined delivery, bringing cross-functional teams together to turn creative franchises into reliable, operator-ready content. She has played a central role in Pragmatic Play’s expansion and in securing strategic partnerships that extend the business into new territories and operator channels. Known for inspirational leadership, she combines commercial rigour with a clear focus on mentoring and developing talent while driving measurable growth.


Website:  PragmaticPlay.com

4. MICHELLE Schenk

Michelle Schenk is Director of Global Communications at IGT, responsible for media, product and corporate communications across the company. With operator, supplier and PR agency experience, she develops integrated strategies that resonate with both B2B partners and consumer audiences. At IGT, Michelle has led campaigns that placed global slot titles and corporate stories in national and international outlets, generating substantial reach, executive visibility and measurable commercial impact. Her earlier career includes communications roles at Caesars Entertainment, a Las Vegas marketing agency serving major casino-resort clients and communications work supporting suppliers to the gaming industry. That cross-sector background gives her a practical, 360-degree understanding of the ecosystem and the ability to tailor narratives for regulators, investors, operators and players alike.


Website:  IGT.com

5. FIONA Power

Fiona Power is a recognised leader in regulated sports betting, credited with building durable, long-term partnerships that have underpinned market entry and sustainable growth across the US. Having begun her career at KPMG and Paddy Power, she later played a formative role in FanDuel’s retail sportsbook inception and expansion following the repeal of PASPA.


Her career spans financial and operational leadership, security and compliance-sensitive environments, construction and retail rollout, commercial strategy and start-up scale, giving her a rare, end-to-end understanding of how regulated gaming businesses are built. Known for translating commercial ambition into structured, partner-led execution, her work sits at the intersection of strategy, regulation and long-term alignment in complex jurisdictions.




Website:  FanDuel.com

6. MONICA Umaña

Monica Umaña is Acting Chief Executive Officer for Latin America at Evolution, one of the global leaders in live gaming technology. Based in Costa Rica, she has built her career across live casino operations, regional management and executive leadership, developing deep expertise in running complex, multi-market businesses within regulated environments. Over her tenure at Evolution, Umaña has held a series of senior regional roles, including leadership positions overseeing Latin American operations and commercial delivery. Her responsibilities have spanned studio management, regional coordination, regulatory readiness and operator engagement, with a focus on ensuring operational resilience and consistent service standards across diverse jurisdictions. She is regularly involved in industry dialogue around Latin America’s evolving regulatory landscape and has represented Evolution at regional conferences and forums. Umaña’s career reflects long-term progression within the live casino sector, combining operational credibility with regional market insight at executive level international markets

Website:  Evolution.com

7. VALENTINA Bagniya

Valentina Bagniya is Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, where she leads global marketing, communications and brand strategy across B2B technology markets. She holds a degree in Economics and an MBA, providing a strong foundation in commercial analysis, market strategy and business management. In 2024, she further developed her leadership and strategic capabilities through executive education at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Before joining SOFTSWISS, Bagniya gained experience in large-scale multinational environments, including time at Nestlé, where she worked within structured, data-driven marketing and brand frameworks. That FMCG background shaped her approach to scalability, performance measurement and brand consistency. Since joining SOFTSWISS in 2020, she has built and scaled the company’s marketing function into a multidisciplinary international team of about 70 people, spanning PR, content, digital marketing, events, analytics and employer branding. Under her leadership, SOFTSWISS has strengthened its global brand presence and positioned marketing as a core commercial function within the organisation.

Website:  SOFTSWISS.com

8. KELSY Foster

Kelsy Foster spent more than two decades at IGT, progressing through senior creative and studio leadership roles within the company’s game development organisation. Trained in actuarial science at Bentley University, she began her career as a mathematically grounded game designer before moving into broader leadership responsibilities across content development and studio operations. She now works at Light & Wonder as Vice President of Game Design, where she leads a game design studio focused on developing player-led content within the company’s global games portfolio. Her career reflects long-term experience in shaping game design environments, guiding creative teams and supporting scalable content delivery.

Website:  LNW.com

9. AIDA Vardanyan

Aida Vardanyan leads Digitain Malta as its highly trusted safe pair of hands driving operations at the heart of one of iGaming’s most important regulated hubs. Since joining Digitain in 2016, she rose through roles spanning financial and operational leadership to oversee large-scale, partner-centric platform strategy across glo - bal markets. As CEO, she has shaped Malta into a strategic operational and compliance centre — centralising commercial support, regulatory engagement, and European partnerships. Her leadership focuses on building scalable infrastructure and responsive support systems, ensuring Digitain delivers agile, innovative solutions tailored to operator needs.

Website:  Digitain.com

10. VESSELINA Andreeva

Vesselina Andreeva is Chief Operations Officer at Amusnet, the Sofia-based gaming technology supplier behind the former EGT Interactive portfolio and a growing global games specialist. A former Playtech executive, under her operational leadership, Amusnet’s teams now support hundreds of employees across several studios and offices. The company lists an approximate workforce of around 750+ people, helping deliver digital and land-based content to regulated markets worldwide. Andreeva has also been recognised as one of Bulgaria’s Top 100 Executives for 2025, reflecting her influence beyond operations into broader industry leadership.

Website:  Amusnet.com

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