Integrity Beyond Compliance: Responsible Leadership at the CSR Conference

Andreas: Great question! I do not have a new job.

However, attending a CSR conference, hosted by a university with a clear academic background, was a remarkable contrast to the industry events I usually attend. Usually, industry and academia rarely mix. Scholars need to keep their independence. Often, they look at the industry from a player protection perspective, while the industry has a strong focus on profitability.

Andreas: I saw a call for abstracts in the media, with a range of topics. One topic cluster was in the field of ethical leadership. I sent an abstract, and it was accepted. This offered me the opportunity to present my work.

Andreas: It was “Integrity beyond compliance. Internal Legitimacy and Responsible Leadership in Morally Contested Industries“. Our industry is morally contested. Leadership is a challenge when there is no natural purpose of work.

Andreas: No, I did not. In the forms that I had to fill out, I had to provide my affiliation. This has nothing to do with iGaming’s affiliate business. It is about the university you work at, where you do your research. Since I am a professor at Kutaisi International University, I provided that affiliation and used my university email address.

Andreas: No, not at all.

I have met with very open-minded people. Researchers from 25 countries, as far away as Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, and Canada.

And let me tell you how I started my presentation. Many speakers start like this: “Hello, my name is Bob. I am a PhD candidate. This is my topic. I will present 35 slides …” Usually, at this point, you have lost your audience to their smartphones.

My start was: “I must make a confession. I am a professor. I teach ethics. I am a CEO. I promote gambling.” This gets the attention of the audience. People listened, and we had a wonderful discussion afterwards.

Andreas: I flew to Dublin, picked up a rental car, which took about ninety minutes because of long waiting lines, and then drove to Limerick, which took another two hours. I stayed on campus, as most conference participants did. Each of us had a dorm room with a shared kitchen and lounge area.

Andreas: And it was like a youth hostel. And we all enjoyed it.

Andreas: Very big and appealing. The university has 17,000 students. The campus is located on the River Shannon. There is a nice riverside walk into Limerick city center, about an hour on foot.

We had our conference mainly at Kemmy Business School. Modern, well-equipped facilities. For breakfast, we met at the pavilion. As opposed to our campus at Kutaisi International University, there are club areas on the grounds, beer is on tap, and pub food is available. A very nice atmosphere.

Andreas: We had a gala dinner, I watched other people trying Irish dancing, and our dorm room gang explored the pub scene of Limerick.

There was an option to do a sightseeing tour, including the Cliffs of Moher. I did not join. Those who went said it was well worth the trip.

Andreas: I felt like a student again. Staying in a dorm room. Sharing a kitchen. Hanging out with professors, scholars and PhD candidates from all over the world. Lovely talks all night long, with a pint or two of Guinness.

The most relaxed and enjoyable time together at an academic conference for a long time. So many new thoughts. It is difficult to say what the biggest surprise was.

I think it was the diversity of the conference participants, and the casual atmosphere. Often, people care very much about titles in academia. At this conference, our badges had just our names. No titles. No indication of the position. Perfect!

Andreas: These days, E-E-A-T, trust, reputation, visibility and branding are important for our affiliate business. Our domains must rank. Good content is important, links also. Conferences like this are covered in the media. It also reflects our wider commitment to CSR and sustainability. More conference invitations tend to follow. We will publish a peer-reviewed paper in an academic journal.

Andreas: That’s true. In order to be visible, you must have a topic you are known for and a clear positioning. My topics are leadership, remote work and responsible gambling.

The combination of teaching ethics while running a business in a contested industry is interesting for media and conference organizers. Here, the CSR conference was a good match.

Andreas: My next conference will be IGB in London. I will not speak there. Then comes SBC Tbilisi. There, I will be the moderator of a panel. And I am already looking forward to the next behind-the-scenes interview. I have been on numerous panel discussions, but this will be my first panel moderator role.