Diversity and inclusion shouldn’t be about merely ‘ticking a box’ or hiring people from minority backgrounds just for the sake of it, according to Lottoland’s Head of Product and Co-Lead on Diversity and Inclusion, Christina Giuffré.
Speaking to SBC at Betting on Sports Europe at Stamford Bridge, Giuffré explained that diversity and inclusion is instead about giving equal opportunities to people from all backgrounds and hiring people on merit.
She explained: “I’m not one who believes in quotas, so I don’t believe in adding women or adding minority groups for the sake of adding them or ticking a box.
“Also, it doesn’t feel good if you get the job as a woman and you only get the job because you are a woman. I think it is really important that it is really accessible, that more people are on that group of people being interviewed and to have the opportunity for that role.”
Giuffré spoke to SBC about how Lottoland and the wider industry must get on board with diversity and inclusion to help engage better with younger generations, who are increasingly socially aware.
“Diversity and inclusion inspires innovation so you think of different ways of connecting with your audience,” she remarked.
“We’ve got new generations coming through, Gen X and Millennials, and they’re very socially responsible, they’re very conscious of the environment so the more you can do to engage with those audiences and connect with diversity and make sure that you’ve got a mix of people, they can see themselves in those people.”
Giving a sneak-peek into Lottoland’s plans in 2022, Giuffré revealed that corporate social responsibility is high on the agenda in the forthcoming year, following this year in which the firm became carbon neutral and implemented its diversity strategy.
“We’re doing a lot with the environment, people and our customers,” Giuffré concluded.
“We’ve got a huge focus on safer gambling; it’s really important to us that our customers are protected and our people feel like they’ve got an opinion.”
SBC also spoke to Lottoland’s Co-Lead on Diversity and Inclusion Sophie Wood at Betting on Sports Europe 2021, in which she discussed how the wider industry is ‘ripe for collaboration’ on inclusion as well as how the company engages with its staff to keep them feeling included.
