ECA awards annual diversity scholarships
The European Casino Association has named two casino employees to receive its scholarships for this year.
Belgium.- The European Casino Association (ECA) has awarded its annual ECA Diversity Scholarship to two candidates, Kirsi Karola Lagus and Celine Alberola. Now in its fifth year, the scholarships are sponsored by Clarion Gaming, AGEM and the UNLV International Gaming Institute and are open to all employees of ECA members.
The scholarship covers the costs of the candidates’ participation in the Executive Development Programme (EDP) at Lake Tahoe in the US.
Lagus works at Finland’s state-controlled gaming operator Veikkaus, while Alberola works at Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer’s Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco.
ECA chairman Per Jaldung said: “Now in its fifth year, the ECA scholarship programme has grown in renown among European casino executives who recognise the wider learnings offered by the Executive Development Programme to the daily roles of our hard-working employees.
“The ECA has awarded two outstanding candidates from Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer and Veikkaus” to take part in the programme to promote the individual growth of gaming professionals who, through their actions, have supported and enhanced diversity and inclusion within the industry.“
ECA general secretary Hermann Pamminger said: “The land-based casino sector is, by definition, an in-person industry, and so the return of the Executive Development Programme to the picturesque surroundings of Lake Tahoe is a significant moment for the casino sector.
“It is with great satisfaction that the ECA has awarded two diversity scholarships in 2022, at a value of €12,000 each, as a reward for the dedication and career-orientated focus of two casino professionals who will gain unique knowledge and insights from the EDP to utilise in their everyday roles.”
“We look forward to charting the progress of Kirsi and Celine and wish them both every success in the future.”
Erlier this month, Jaldung announced that he would leave his role as chief executive of Svenska Spel’s land-based casino brand Casino Cosmopol. He will step down before the end of the year, marking the end of a 14-year tenure that began in November 2008.
Jaldung began working at Casino Cosmopol in 2002 as security manager. He then did a stint as general manager before rising to CEO. He has been chairman of the board at the European Casino Association since February 2015.
Before joining Casino Cosmopol, he worked in the police force for nine years. He spent more than three years as a police officer in Stockholm and then more than five years as a detective inspector and finally 18 months as acting detective superintendent at the National Criminal Investigation Department until June 2002.
