Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN MAY 2019 60 INDUSTRY PROFILE Ben Blaschke: Thanks for chatting with us Mark. Can you start by telling us a bit about your background? Mark Howell: I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and went to an all-boys school in Sandton called St David’s Marist Inanda which laid the foundations and contributed to my future substantially. I played a lot of sport at school and memories of that are some of my best growing up. As a result, I formed many great relationships and went on to do the same at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. BB: How did you come to work in the gaming industry? MH: Straight out of University I worked in marketing at a local agency in Johannesburg until I was lucky enough to be given a position at a company called MP Gaming where I sold bill validators and slot machine parts. I worked for Markus Prader who taught me a great deal about the industry and laid the foundations for my future in gaming. In 2013, the late John Whiskin offered me a sales position at the TCSJOHNHUXLEY Africa office where he trained and invested a lot of his time in me. As a result, I gained the experience and knowledge I needed to make the move to Asia in 2016, reporting to Rebecca Kingswell. BB: What were the primary challenges you faced when you first moved to Macau? MH: When I first arrived in Asia I was based in Singapore for roughly 18 months where it was an easier adjustment to the change in culture. I would regularly travel from Singapore to Macau so I gradually acquired a better understanding of the Macau market which prepared me for the move in December 2017. BB:What doesanormalworkweek look like forMarkHowell? MH: My normal week is consistently focused on our customers. We operate in a wide variety of markets so a great deal of effort goes into understanding our customers' businesses and their unique needs in a particular market. One of the highlights of working in the Asia-Pacific region is the exposure we get to these growing markets. BB: What excites or interests you most about working in the gaming industry? MH: Working in these markets can have an incredibly positive impact on you, both professionally and personally, when you go out there with the right attitude and really learn to enjoy the opportunity you’ve been given.