HR Leadership Issues and Nepotism Undermining Company Culture
I worked in the Product Development department at Betsson Group and unfortunately witnessed troubling leadership and ethical concerns, particularly involving the HR leadership. The CHRO’s management raised serious questions around nepotism. It was clear that family members were employed within her own department and received special privileges such as being allowed to work from higher cost countries like Sweden despite global HR roles requiring a Malta-based presence and the CHRO’s strict onsite demands for her team. This favouritism impacted team dynamics and created an unfair environment that is widely discussed across the company.
From a Product Development perspective, these leadership issues caused unnecessary tension and distraction. The CHRO’s controlling and domineering style often felt more like bossing than supportive leadership. We have witnessed multiple times when she was trying to go around the CEO to play her own agenda, trying to undermine our PD leadership. There were clear signs of narcissistic behaviour that prioritised personal image and gain over team wellbeing and collaboration, sometimes even at the expense of the business. It became so bad, that not only HR people leave Betsson to not have to deal with the unethical behaviour of our CHRO, but people from across the business. The whole company knows it, and what's worse, it's a known fact in the whole iGaming industry and especially in Malta.
Betsson is a strong company in many respects, but I sincerely hope they address these leadership and ethical challenges to improve the overall culture, which would benefit all departments including our Product Development teams.
