At Kindred, we like to recognise and celebrate our employees. One of our employees, George Debrincat, Non-Executive Director played a key part in developing our business and without him, Kindred would not be the company it is today. After almost 20 years at Kindred, we are extremely sad to see George Debrincat, retire. George talks to us about his career, fond memories and the possible future of the gambling industry.
Tell us which positions you held throughout your lengthy career at Kindred/Unibet?
I had the honour of joining Unibet on 6th November 2000. Back then, there were only 14 of us in the whole of Unibet, so I was the customer support manager, office administrator, recruiter and an IT guy, on top of being responsible for general management of the company. I was also a key person of contact for the Malta Lotteries Department, before the Lotteries and Gaming Authority was set up in Malta (now called MGA) in 2004.
What are your fondest Kindred/Unibet memories?
Getting our first gaming license in Malta for our sportsbook, poker and casino in 2004. In-fact our license number is 106/2000. Kindred and one other are the only companies still operating out of the original 6 who got their licenses at that time. We are also the only iGaming company operating there for 19 continuous years. Another fond memory is our first ever Christmas party in December 2000: all 14 people ended up attending and enjoying the evening.
How do you see the future of the gambling industry?
In my opinion, in five years’ time, the gambling industry will become one of the most regulated industries out there, even more so than it is today. I believe major challenges will be coming from the regulatory and compliance areas; gaming and compliance laws will be harder to manage and navigate. New technologies such as AI, will help us overcome challenges that may arise in the future and we need to continuously innovate if we want to stand out from our competitors. We need to become more customer-centric if we want to differentiate ourselves.
What advice would you give to people who are looking to progress at Kindred?
Be patient, start from the basics and try to understand the business you are in. Get to know all the different departments, how they fit into the organisation and how they complement each other.
What are your retirement plans?
Nothing special planned. I’m hoping to remain active at Kindred part-time (selected hours only), to support with Regulatory & Compliance. I’m also hoping to do all the fun stuff, like travelling and looking after my granddaughter.
To add to his many accomplishments, George also won a lifetime achievement award and entered the Malta Gaming Community’s Hall of Fame. Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group personally thanked George for his invaluable contribution to the business. He will forever be remembered at Kindred’s own hall of fame, as now ‘George Debrincat’ is the most popular meeting room in our Malta office. Kindred is proud to have been George’s employer of choice for so many years and wish him all the best for the future.
