From financial markets to AI innovation
We sat down with Shyaam, a Manager within Entain’s Enterprise Data Science & AI function. Having started his career in hedge funds before moving into sports betting and gaming, his journey is a great example of how expertise from one industry can unlock opportunities in another.
Who am I and what do I do?
I’m a Manager within Entain’s Enterprise Data Science & AI team, leading a group of talented colleagues across data science, machine learning, personalisation and Generative AI.
Our role is to help solve complex business problems through data and technology. That can mean anything from developing machine learning models and personalisation capabilities to exploring how AI can improve the way we operate and the experiences we create for customers.
Before joining Entain, I spent a number of years working in hedge funds across the UK and US, covering areas including equities and fixed income. Moving into sports betting and gaming gave me the opportunity to apply that experience in a completely different environment, one that’s fast-paced, data-rich and full of interesting challenges.
What made you decide to join Entain and what’s made you stay?
What originally attracted me to Entain was the scale of the business and the complexity of the problems we solve.
Coming from financial markets, I’ve always been interested in prediction and decision-making under uncertainty. Sports betting felt like a natural extension of that interest, combining data, customer behaviour, trading and risk in a completely different setting.
What has made me stay is the opportunity to have an impact beyond my immediate role. I’ve worked with teams across different countries, functions and parts of the business, and I’ve seen ideas evolve from early-stage concepts into solutions that create real value.
It’s also a place where people are encouraged to contribute. You’re trusted to take ownership, challenge existing thinking and bring forward new ideas.
How has Entain helped you develop?
One of the biggest ways Entain has helped me develop is by broadening my perspective.
I joined with a strong technical background, but over time I’ve learned that delivering successful solutions isn’t just about the technology. It’s about understanding the business challenge, bringing people together and making sure what you build creates a meaningful outcome.
Working under the leadership of my director has played a big part in that journey. His focus on connecting data and technology to real business value has encouraged me to think much more broadly about the impact of our work.
Leading a diverse team has also challenged me to grow as a leader. Every day I’m working alongside people with different skills, experiences and perspectives, and that constantly pushes me to think differently.
What kind of impact can you make?
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most is the opportunity to work across a wide range of initiatives rather than focusing on a single area.
My team has contributed to projects spanning risk and player verification, personalisation, retail betting, machine learning and Generative AI.
One project I’m particularly proud of involved helping to scale Entain’s internal Generative AI capability, creating secure access to AI tools for thousands of colleagues across the organisation. More recently, we’ve focused on building platforms that allow teams to embed AI directly into their own products and workflows.
For me, the most rewarding part isn’t any individual model or technology. It’s seeing talented people come together to turn ideas into something that delivers real value for the business.
What might surprise people about Entain?
Probably the breadth of expertise that exists across the organisation.
People often think of Entain as a collection of sports betting and gaming brands, but behind those brands are teams working across technology, data, trading, risk, customer experience and responsible gaming.
What surprised me most was how collaborative the organisation is. People are willing to share knowledge, help solve problems and work across team boundaries.
A great example was when our team won a Snowflake hackathon with a transformer-based solution developed for a casino use case. The success wasn’t just about the technology itself. It showed what’s possible when talented people are given the freedom to experiment, collaborate and solve real business challenges.
What advice would you give someone joining Entain?
Stay curious and make the effort to understand the wider business.
It’s easy to focus only on your own area, but some of the best opportunities come from understanding how different teams work together and where your skills can make a difference.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions or challenge a process if you think there’s a better way.
Most importantly, take ownership early. The people who tend to thrive at Entain are the ones who step forward, look for opportunities and are willing to learn as they go.
Why is now a great time to join Entain?
We’re in the middle of an exciting period of transformation.
Data, AI and technology are playing an increasingly important role across the business, creating new opportunities to improve customer experiences and drive commercial outcomes.
What’s particularly exciting is seeing these capabilities applied to products used by customers every day. From personalisation initiatives to AI-enabled experiences, there are opportunities to work on problems at real scale and see the results of your work first-hand.
For anyone interested in technology, data, product, trading, customer experience or AI, there are some genuinely interesting challenges to solve.
That’s what makes this such an exciting time to join Entain: the combination of scale, innovation and the opportunity to make a visible impact.
Final thought
My career has taken me from financial markets into sports betting, gaming and AI, and one of the things I’ve enjoyed most is seeing how skills from one industry can translate into another.
Entain has given me the opportunity to work on complex problems, collaborate with talented people and contribute to initiatives that have a real impact on the business.
If you’re curious, willing to learn and excited by solving challenging problems, there are plenty of opportunities to build an interesting career here.