Five minutes with… Oliver Niner at PandaScore
This month's quickfire Q&A comes courtesy of Oliver Niner of PandaScore
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the opportunity to align esports with the betting industry. I have worked in the industry for 18 years now and seeing the growth of this part of the industry and helping operators achieve that growth with our products is incredibly rewarding.
If you could give one piece of advice to a head of sales, what would it be?
Understand your customers’ goals and needs. It is only by doing this that you can truly attempt to see if they are aligned enough with your business to potentially buy your product. Another thing, work with the right people. This is super important and applies to the business you work for, your team and the partners that you choose to assist you.
Who would play you in the movie about your life?
At this stage in my life and career, I’d take Gary Oldman, he is from near to where I grew up.
What’s your karaoke song of choice?
Wichita Lineman by Glenn Campbell. I can’t really sing very well so it is easier to do more crooner-type songs.
Which one thing can’t you live without?
My dog Baxter.
Who would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
The CEO of Flutter, I would only need five mins to evangelise about our products. Him or Professor Brian Cox, I’d love to chat physics and the complexities of the universe with him.
Where would you time travel to and why?
London in 1967, to go and see Jimi Hendrix live.
What is your favourite TV programme?
I just finished Slow Horses. That’s probably my favourite at the moment. I can’t wait to see the TV adaptation of The Last of Us. Truly brilliant video game!
What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Cigars. I went to Cuba and travelled around the island for three weeks in 2011. It was so amazing and cigars always remind me of that holiday.
If you won the lottery, what would you spend the money on?
Honestly, I would invest in my local community. I have worked out a model where private commercial rents could be paid as revenue shares based on the type of business and the SME’s first year projection. I would love to work this up and help a small community grow.
Name one place everyone should visit before they die.
Edinburgh. I think it’s the best city in the world. It has the best food, good whisky and the locals are lovely. It is full of culture and fun things to do and the countryside around there is just jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Oliver Niner is head of sales at PandaScore, the betting industry’s leading esports data and odds supplier. He started his career at Betgenius when it was still an odds comparison and white-label business and moved through senior positions in customer service and account management. He then held roles at Marathonbet, Oulala Games, PIMS SCA and most recently at startup platform provider Atlas IAC. His knowledge and experience has taken him to various global locations over his 15 years+ in the industry and he has built an extensive global network having lived in both Malta and Estonia for his previous positions.