Public Gaming International September/October 2022

37 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 EL Members are invited to confirm their voluntary commitments in order to be able to present the outcomes during the next EL General Assembly taking place in June 2023 during the 11th EL Congress and Trade Show in Šibenik (Croatia). In the upcoming months the preliminary results and further ideas will be shared and discussed. The EL CSR and Responsible Gaming Working Group is leading this initiative together with the EL Team. Also from the EU policy side, the developments on new CSR and reporting initiatives from the European Commission are followed closely upon their possible implications of the annual CSR reporting obligations of the EL Members within the EU. Third EL WiLL Mentoring Programme kicks off From sustainability to diversity, EL is pleased to announce that the call for new mentors and mentees for the third Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WiLL) Mentoring Programme in Europe is now open for the period 2022-2023. Specially designed for female leaders in the lottery sector who want to realise their fullest potential, the Programme looks for ambitious women who are ready to take their career to the next level. This follows its first successful edition in 2021-2022 and a pilot programme back in 2019. In the words of Stéphane Pallez, EL 1st Vice-President, CEO of La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and champion of the Programme in Europe: ”WILL continues to grow, creating a path for talented and passionate women. Both mentors and mentees will benefit from this experience and contribute to build an environment that not only accepts diversity, but also celebrates and promotes it.” Mentors and mentees from the 2021-2023 class recently shared their positive insights from participating in the Programme: “The WiLL programme helped me with setting clear goals and an action plan on how to achieve it. I also had an opportunity to meet incredible women that are part of our lottery world.“ Marusa Habot, Loterija Slovenije (Slovenia) (Mentee) “The WiLL programme supports future female leaders to focus on their career to develop a strategy to reach their goals and to strengthen them in general. It also supports the female network within the community. The programme is very well structured and can easily be implemented in the schedules of leaders within the EL world.” Elisabeth Römer-Russwurm, Austrian Lotteries (Poland) (Mentor) “You can only grow when you try something new. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” Aneta Pliszka, Totalizator Sportowy (Mentee) “This programme made possible to bring myths closer to the truth. It provided tools to put into practice. It gave space to talk about the biggest challenges and frustrations. It functioned in a kind of psychological and emotional support for the intellectual side to continue to evolve. Companies and teams need to evolve emotionally so that they can be better professionals.” Catarina Sousa, SCML (Portugal) (Mentee) “As a mentee, it was a privilege and a truly enriching experience to share thoughts with a great young woman, supporting her on the way to achieving her dreams. I’m happy to have been part of the WiLL community. Connecting with people that are eager to share and to grow an inclusive culture for all is one of the best experiences I've had.” Romana Girandon, Loterija Slovenije (Slovenia) (Mentor) “I am proud to take part in EL's WiLL Programme as a mentor. It creates a path for talented women to realise their full potential in the lottery sector. We can definitely handle better together the existing unconscious biases through a joint learning and by letting other women inspire us with reflections during meetings that WiLL provides throughout its European membership.” Zsófia Bánhegyi, Szerencsejáték Zrt. (Hungary) (Mentor) n WiLL Mentoring Programme class of 2021-2022 Stéphane Pallez, CEO of La Française des Jeux (FDJ); 1st Vice-President of EL

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