How female sports and betting executives lead by example

Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel, stands out in a crowd — despite her slight stature.

In a room full of executives in the sports or gambling industries, she is often one of very few women.

But Howe has the spotlight, and the megaphone, as CEO of the nation’s leading sports betting company. FanDuel announced this week that it increased its market share during the fourth quarter to 50% of legal sports betting in the US.

Howe joined Caesar CEO Tom Rigg and New England Patriots President Jonathan Kraft are at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this week to discuss the deepening relationship between the sports betting industries, the need for better technology for customer acquisition and retention, and the competitive landscape.

Howe’s gender is never shown.

But in many conversations – off stage and behind the scenes – it’s clear Howe is a role model for other women in sports and gambling. And here, you keep good company.

Renee Anderson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of the National Football League, which has been working for years to get more women on board as football fans. Anderson said that having women in leadership positions has made a difference.

“We’re really working to make sure we have the best people in the best places — if it’s on the field, in the locker room, in the boardroom — driving those positions,” Anderson told CNBC at the MIT Sloan Conference. . “We’re working to make sure we’re not just hiring [women]But we find them, we train them, we provide opportunities for women. We cannot be satisfied.”

Jessica Gilman, co-founder of the MIT Sloan Conference, is CEO of Kraft Analytics Group, a company that provides sports analytics for teams like the New England Patriots. She prioritized putting more women on stage.

“Thirty-eight percent of our speakers this year are women, and that’s my opinion, because analytics gives them different insights and a different voice when they’re in the boardroom,” she said. The result, she said, is a more diverse audience and a better talent pipeline.

Gilman, Anderson, and Howe are among dozens of accomplished women in sports and gambling, who network with each other but also mentor and advise younger professionals.

Sport is a microcosm of the wider world, Gilman said: “I hope more women, especially women in high positions, use their positions of power.”