The iGaming Leader Podcast

Elen Barber: From Affiliate Manager to CMO — Leading Through Crisis, Regulation & Restructure

Leo sits down with Elen Barber, who went from affiliate manager to CMO at Kindred in just nine years. Elen shares the brutal reality of her first weeks as CMO: facing a £100 million fine, Swedish re-regulation, plummeting share price, and multiple rounds of restructuring.

Elen Barber

Former CMO, Kindred Group

Watch the episode Apply to the Mastermind 17 Jan 2026 · Sponsored by Sumsub

01 · Watch the episode

The full conversation

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02 · The guest

Elen Barber

Former CMO, Kindred Group

Elen Barber has been working in the gaming industry for over 20 years and has witnessed its evolution from the wild west days to today's highly regulated landscape. She's held CMO roles at Super Group and Kindred Group, managing teams across multiple countries and dealing with everything from new market launches to regulatory curveballs. Based in London, she's passionate about how this industry continues to reinvent itself.

Follow Elen on LinkedIn →

03 · Inside this episode

Moments worth queuing up

00:00 Elen Barber's iGaming journey.

03:00 Creating your own opportunities: you can't wait for your manager.

08:00 Why the higher you go, the lonelier it gets.

14:00 Wearing different hats: the two-chair technique for managing emotions.

18:00 Building trust: having your team's back.

22:00 The worst crisis in company history hits in week one as CMO.

26:00 Managing multiple restructures while keeping people motivated.

34:00 Life after Kindred.

36:00 The pressure of being a perfect parent, perfect exec.

41:00 Quick fire Q&A.

In his own words

01 / 04

“It is too easy to make money in our industry comparing to any other industries... it doesn't drive innovation.”

02 / 04

“You also create opportunities, you don't wait for the opportunities to be created for you.”

03 / 04

“It is scary for the leader to understand and accept that suddenly you know significantly less than people within your team.”

04 / 04

“You really have to try to take emotions out of the business decisions.”

This episode is sponsored by

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Important links

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