Eeze CPO on preserving culture amid global expansion

Aarti Carl, Chief People Officer at iGaming supplier Eeze, joined the company during its startup phase and has since built a strategic people function from scratch. In a recent interview, she discussed how the firm balances rapid international growth with maintaining the identity that attracted talent in the first place.

Building a people function from the ground up

Carl came to Eeze after a long stint at Rank, where she worked across both land-based and online operations. She was drawn to the opportunity because it offered full ownership of the people function within a startup that combined the casino vertical with international travel. "I've always said that I love my job, but I've also got to love the business I work for," she noted, adding that the move also shifted her perspective from the operator side to the supplier side of the industry.

When Carl arrived, HR was not yet viewed as a strategic driver. Over the past few years, she has built a global team of more than 35 people and introduced initiatives that previously did not exist: learning and development programmes, succession planning, talent management, and, most recently, a set of company values. She worked closely with business leaders to align recruitment with long-term needs, not just immediate gaps. "Being able to build something from the ground up has been a real privilege," she reflected, noting that the team has grown alongside the business.

Scaling culture across borders

As Eeze has expanded internationally, its workforce now spans more than 55 nationalities. Carl sees this diversity as a major strength, particularly within the senior leadership team, which she described as the most diverse she has encountered in her career. "Earlier in my career I often worked in leadership teams that looked very similar," she said, contrasting that with the current mix of backgrounds and ideas.

Growth also forces a shift from a startup mindset to a more mature organisational structure. To manage that transition, Eeze introduced change management workshops that help leaders guide their teams through periods of transformation. Carl emphasised that even positive growth can feel unsettling if people do not understand the reasons behind it. "I never want people to feel like they're just a number," she stated, explaining that the leadership team regularly checks itself to ensure decisions benefit both the business and its people.

The road ahead

Looking forward, Carl identified the biggest challenge for growing gaming companies as preserving the very qualities that made employees want to join in the first place. She pointed to the recent launch of company values as just the beginning; the real work lies in embedding those values into everyday operations. Toolkits and guidance have been created for managers to weave values into one-to-ones, team meetings, and performance discussions. "They shouldn't just sit on a wall," she said. "They should be reflected in how we work together."

She acknowledged that no leadership team has all the answers, but continuous self-reflection is essential. For Carl, the ongoing journey of aligning people priorities with business growth remains one of the most exciting parts of her role.