session 5
Next Generation of Gaming
Hosted by Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
Global Chief Revenue Officer at EML Payments
Richard oversees EML sales and account management functions globally and has played an integral role in EML’s growth success over the last 9 years. He brings 15 years of payments experience and 20 years of global marketing and sales experience to EML, across several multi-national brands.
Richard Anderson
Global Chief Revenue Officer at EML Payments
Richard oversees EML sales and account management functions globally and has played an integral role in EML’s growth success over the last 9 years. He brings 15 years of payments experience and 20 years of global marketing and sales experience to EML, across several multi-national brands.
Todd Buckingham
Chief Executive Officer at Betmakers
Mr Buckingham has more than 20 years’ experience working in the Sports and Wagering industry in Australia.
After completing a double bachelor’s degree in teaching and health and physical education in 2000, Mr Buckingham taught secondary education for 5 years at Hunter Sports High School whilst simultaneously working as a sports manager at a successful sports management company, NSRT.
During his time at NSRT, Mr Buckingham negotiated more than $20M worth of sporting contracts, culminating in his appointment as Managing Director.
As Managing Director of NSRT, Mr Buckingham’s responsibilities included managing the affairs of Rugby League athletes, negotiating contracts, sourcing sponsorships, managing accounting and budgeting affairs, crisis management, and media relations. In 2009, Mr Buckingham founded 12Follow OpCo. In 2010, Mr Buckingham founded TopBetta OpCo.
Todd Buckingham
Chief Executive Officer at Betmakers
Mr Buckingham has more than 20 years’ experience working in the Sports and Wagering industry in Australia.
After completing a double bachelor’s degree in teaching and health and physical education in 2000, Mr Buckingham taught secondary education for 5 years at Hunter Sports High School whilst simultaneously working as a sports manager at a successful sports management company, NSRT.
During his time at NSRT, Mr Buckingham negotiated more than $20M worth of sporting contracts, culminating in his appointment as Managing Director.
As Managing Director of NSRT, Mr Buckingham’s responsibilities included managing the affairs of Rugby League athletes, negotiating contracts, sourcing sponsorships, managing accounting and budgeting affairs, crisis management, and media relations. In 2009, Mr Buckingham founded 12Follow OpCo. In 2010, Mr Buckingham founded TopBetta OpCo.
Christopher Koch
Chief Financial Officer at VGW
Christopher is an experienced chief financial officer, qualified in finance, economics, and law - with a decade of experience in investment banking. He has studied at Yale, INSEAD, Harvard, and the University of Adelaide.
He is currently Chief Financial Officer at VGW Holdings Limited, a public company in Australia with global operations as a provider of software-based games and entertainment. Previously, Christopher was Deputy Chief Financial Officer at ASX listed Freelancer.com, a global SaaS marketplace.
Prior to this Christopher spent a decade in investment banking as a Director at UBS Investment Bank, and also at Macquarie Bank. His experience is extensive across strategy, mergers and acquisitions, equity syndication and equity capital markets. He also previously worked for His Excellency The Honourable Alexander Downer AC during the Howard government.
Christopher has worked on more than $35 billion of corporate transactions including listings on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). He has advised corporate clients and institutional investors across Australia, Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
Christopher is an alumnus of Yale University, completing Yale School of Management’s Global Executive Leadership Program in 2019. He completed his masters in finance at INSEAD (L'Institut européen d'administration des affaires) in France and Singapore in 2009, has studied corporate strategy at Harvard Business School, and previously read economics and law with first-class honours at the University of Adelaide.
Christopher Koch
Chief Financial Officer at VGW
Christopher is an experienced chief financial officer, qualified in finance, economics, and law - with a decade of experience in investment banking. He has studied at Yale, INSEAD, Harvard, and the University of Adelaide.
He is currently Chief Financial Officer at VGW Holdings Limited, a public company in Australia with global operations as a provider of software-based games and entertainment. Previously, Christopher was Deputy Chief Financial Officer at ASX listed Freelancer.com, a global SaaS marketplace.
Prior to this Christopher spent a decade in investment banking as a Director at UBS Investment Bank, and also at Macquarie Bank. His experience is extensive across strategy, mergers and acquisitions, equity syndication and equity capital markets. He also previously worked for His Excellency The Honourable Alexander Downer AC during the Howard government.
Christopher has worked on more than $35 billion of corporate transactions including listings on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). He has advised corporate clients and institutional investors across Australia, Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
Christopher is an alumnus of Yale University, completing Yale School of Management’s Global Executive Leadership Program in 2019. He completed his masters in finance at INSEAD (L'Institut européen d'administration des affaires) in France and Singapore in 2009, has studied corporate strategy at Harvard Business School, and previously read economics and law with first-class honours at the University of Adelaide.
Shams Syed
Chief Executive Officer at AptPay
Before Shams joined AptPay and took on the responsibility of CEO, he led Digital Partnerships in Canada for Mastercard. Working with the leading global partners in the payment space, Shams had the ability to learn about the entire payment ecosystem, the payment facilitators, the aggregators, and the four-party model, which has now evolved to a six-party model. During his tenure at Mastercard, Shams was also responsible for creating the framework for fintech companies to become a part of the direct network partnership.
Beyond the fintech space, Shams has worked with acquirers, direct merchants, consultants, and loyalty programs over the last few years. This has given him the ability to look at the financial ecosystem very holistically. He is able to understand the pain points from all perspectives and create a solution, which is not hyper-focused on one channel but all players in the mix.
Shams Syed
Chief Executive Officer at AptPay
Before Shams joined AptPay and took on the responsibility of CEO, he led Digital Partnerships in Canada for Mastercard. Working with the leading global partners in the payment space, Shams had the ability to learn about the entire payment ecosystem, the payment facilitators, the aggregators, and the four-party model, which has now evolved to a six-party model. During his tenure at Mastercard, Shams was also responsible for creating the framework for fintech companies to become a part of the direct network partnership.
Beyond the fintech space, Shams has worked with acquirers, direct merchants, consultants, and loyalty programs over the last few years. This has given him the ability to look at the financial ecosystem very holistically. He is able to understand the pain points from all perspectives and create a solution, which is not hyper-focused on one channel but all players in the mix.
Craig Kinross
Co-Founder & Executive Director at Cherry Hub
Craig is co-founder of Cherry Hub and is passionate about bringing innovative solutions for businesses in the hospitality, entertainment, and sports industry.
Craig has a track record of entrepreneurial leadership of fast-growth global technology businesses, successfully launching multiple new innovative technology solutions in the international markets. In the last decade, Craig has advised and grown multiple tech businesses, led an ASX listing receiving numerous awards including Deloitte Tech Fast 50 Australia & Fast 500 Asia Pacific and Westpac Business of Tomorrow.
Cherry Hub is a technology platform built for clubs, hotels, casinos, and hospitality venues to better engage their customers and staff. Cherry Hub connects venues with innovative new technology solutions in RegTech, MarTech, and FinTech. Cherry Hub has partnered with EML to launch a mobile wallet providing a digital ecosystem connecting membership, marketing, payments, and loyalty onto a single card.
Craig Kinross
Co-Founder & Executive Director at Cherry Hub
Craig is co-founder of Cherry Hub and is passionate about bringing innovative solutions for businesses in the hospitality, entertainment, and sports industry.
Craig has a track record of entrepreneurial leadership of fast-growth global technology businesses, successfully launching multiple new innovative technology solutions in the international markets. In the last decade, Craig has advised and grown multiple tech businesses, led an ASX listing receiving numerous awards including Deloitte Tech Fast 50 Australia & Fast 500 Asia Pacific and Westpac Business of Tomorrow.
Cherry Hub is a technology platform built for clubs, hotels, casinos, and hospitality venues to better engage their customers and staff. Cherry Hub connects venues with innovative new technology solutions in RegTech, MarTech, and FinTech. Cherry Hub has partnered with EML to launch a mobile wallet providing a digital ecosystem connecting membership, marketing, payments, and loyalty onto a single card.