In today’s iGaming Heroes feature, we explore how people find their way into HR — not through a textbook path, but through a wide range of experiences — and why working with people becomes a deliberate choice. We talk about building authority after a promotion, handling self-doubt and difficult moments, and why open dialogue is the key tool for keeping both yourself and your team in the game. And, of course, what it takes to be a strong HR leader in one of the most dynamic industries out there: Viktoria K., HRD at 01.tech, answers our questions.

— How did your journey in HR begin, and how did you get into iGaming and 1win?

I started out as an executive assistant at a medical clinic. At some point I was handed the task of hiring a team of doctors, and I pulled it off. From there I moved to a branch of a large automotive group, where I combined the roles of HRD, head of HR administration, and executive secretary all at once.

I came into iGaming with no digital background, so the only role on the table was a standard recruiter position. I took it, because the company's culture and the people there simply made every other offer I had feel irrelevant. But I made a firm decision for myself that I would not stay in a junior role for long. And I did not. Today I am HRD at 01.tech. 

  • 01.tech is a technology company creating turnkey solutions  for the Entertainment industry. We create modern and scalable products, including  White Label platform, Game Aggregator, Sportsbook.

— Was HR a conscious choice, or did it happen gradually over time?

Some people know from childhood that they want to be doctors, lawyers, or scientists. I’m not one of them. My path has been about trying different things. I’ve been working since I was 16years old, as a promoter, a brand and photo model, and an economist at a government institution. When I built a team at the medical clinic, I saw how HR shapes a company’s success and can genuinely change people’s lives. That kind of work with people resonated with me completely.

— What was the hardest stage on the road to becoming an HR Director?

One of the toughest moments is when the people you worked alongside yesterday suddenly become your direct reports. Authority does not come with the promotion automatically. You earn it by bringing something new to the table: fresh approaches to screening, non-standard sourcing channels, workflows and tools that nobody else in the market has. And all of it has to outperform whatever was there before you.

— Were there moments when you wanted to walk away? What kept you going?

Over time I have learned that if something is not working for you, it is the signal to say so directly, openly, and right away. Come with arguments and solutions. Most people let those thoughts build up until they have a whole list of reasons to leave. I deal with them at the root, through honest conversation.

— Is a strong HR professional today more about intuition or experience?

I am convinced the two depend on each other. The more meaningful experience you accumulate, the sharper your intuition becomes. I have had cases where I pushed for candidates that others did not want to consider at first. Some of them are now running entire departments. When you believe in someone's potential, you need to be able to back that up with more than just a gut feeling.

— Have there been cases where a candidate who looked perfect on paper turned out to be the wrong hire?

I remember a case from about two years ago. A solid CV, a decent interview, and every indication that the person could handle the workload. However, once this candidate joined the team, he just could not deliver. It was a good case to study afterward and the issue came down to a lack of exposure and professional savviness. The role was a rare one with very few candidates matching the profile, which made it harder to calibrate. 

To avoid situations like that, companies need to remember that hiring quality matters just as much as hiring speed, and finding ways to keep those two in balance is the real challenge. When that balance is in place, the candidate pipeline builds quickly, the number of conversations grows, and the filters stay sharp enough to catch every important signal. A mismatch becomes almost impossible.

— What qualities do you look for first, and what red flags immediately stop a candidate?

The iGaming industry moves fast and the workload is intense. When you see a combination of flexible thinking, a readiness to take ownership, and a genuine drive to grow, you immediately pay closer attention to that candidate. On the flip side, people who struggle to communicate clearly, wait to be told what to do, or are looking for a quiet and stable environment tend not to survive long in this industry. Once we spot those patterns, the conversation usually ends there. 

I would also add toxicity in communication to that list. No amount of achievement is worth the damage one person can do to a team.

— What matters more for growth in iGaming today: hard skills or soft skills?

Absolutely soft skills, and their importance is only growing. Picking up a new tool, skill, or piece of knowledge can happen relatively fast. Especially when you have a strong team around you and AI that keeps getting more capable. 

Soft skills are a reflection of a person's mindset and psychology, and rewiring that can take months or even years. Business simply does not have that kind of time, especially in iGaming.

There is another argument worth making that people with the right soft skills close their practical gaps faster. The question of what comes first was answered a long time ago for us.

— How do you use AI in HR processes — what have you already delegated to it, and what would you never hand over?

That’s a great question, because the pace of AI development is genuinely staggering. Every few months you ask yourself where the boundary lies — but my view hasn’t changed. AI is good for sorting, basic CV screening, scoring support, feedback to recruiters, building process frameworks, and automating workflows in HR processes. I see some companies even building AI recruiters that handle initial screening. But people need contact with another person — real human contact — and the quality of that connection shapes a great deal in our work. Soft skills assessment is also something I would never fully hand over to AI.

— How is HR in iGaming different from other industries, and what trends are you seeing right now?

The environment is extremely competitive, and the requirements for candidates is higher than in most other industries. Nevertheless, there is a talent pool with relevant candidates though NDA constraints can create communication barriers. This pushes iGaming HR professionals to lean into personalized outreach, find candidates through non-obvious channels, and develop a deeper understanding of role-specific nuances. Even when results can't be fully discussed, the candidate's potential business impact should still come through clearly.

Among the key trends, I'd highlight AI adoption — not just for internal processes, but for understanding how candidates themselves use it. Being able to distinguish surface-level optimizations from genuinely deep implementations, for example, is becoming a real differentiator.

There's also a growing trend toward iGaming fluency. Metrics, blockers, industry-specific challenges are fast becoming must-haves for any recruiter who wants to speak the candidate's language and assess them with real precision.

The time has come to take your iGaming business to the next level. Want to make some real noise in the market? Get in touch with us — we’ll get your questions ready fast.

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⚡️ Lightning Round

1. One must-have skill for a strong HR professional?

Building and maintaining meaningful connections with people of any background.

2. The most common mistake candidates make?

It sounds obvious, but never skip your interview prep.

3. The ideal employee is…

Someone who doesn't fight uncertainty but navigates it comfortably. The kind of person who is fully immersed in what they do and personally invested in every outcome.

4. The HR professional of the future is about…?

It's about the growing importance of human connection as technology keeps getting better.

5. Advice for anyone who wants to break into iGaming?

Don’t be afraid — just go for it. 90% of people who enter the industry never want to leave and continue to grow within it.