Kindred Group’s responsible gambling head departs after 14 years with operator  

Kindred Group’s head of responsible gambling, Maris Catania, has left the Swedish operator after 14 years with the company.

A Kindred stalwart, Catania served as head of responsible gambling and research since August 2019 in her most high-profile position.

She originally joined the Stockholm-listed operator in January 2009 as a fraud analyst before moving across to become a responsible gambling manager in February 2011.

Catania’s responsible gambling journey continued from here after being promoted to fraud and responsible gambling manager in January 2015.

In April 2018, Catania was appointed head of player sustainability research and integrity.

During her 14-year spell with Kindred, Catania was at the forefront of developing the group’s responsible gambling strategy.

The strategy, which has been lauded by those in the industry, includes the ambitious target to derive 0% of revenue from harmful gambling by the end of 2023.

Speaking on her decision to leave Kindred, Catania looked back at her time with the operator and confirmed she would begin life as a responsible gambling consultant in the future.

“Thirteen years ago I joined Kindred Group and looking back I cannot believe what a rollercoaster it has been. I have seen RG [move] from a non-existent, necessary evil to an area on the top of the agenda for many, although more work is always needed on the topic,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“Of course, I will always be grateful for Kindred for all the opportunities they have given me, and I will still work with the company to continue on several projects especially research ones,” she added.

Catania will be replaced internally by Esther Scheepers with immediate effect.