Most Influential Women 2026 winners: Part 2
Following yesterday’s introduction to the first four winners of iGB’s Most Influential Women 2026, three more inspiring figures explain how they are driving change across the sector.
You can read part one of iGB’s Most Influential Women 2026 profiles here.
Cecilia Valdés
Executive President, ACCJ
When Cecilia Valdés took the helm of the Chilean Association of Gaming Casinos (ACCJ) in 2022, she arrived not as a lifelong insider to gambling, but as a communicator and public affairs specialist with two decades of experience.
That background, as a journalist, historian and strategic communicator across public and private sectors, informs how she now approaches an industry confronting rapid technological, regulatory and social shifts.
“I’m very proud and grateful to receive this recognition,” Valdés tells iGB, after being selected as one of its Most Influential Women for 2026.
She believes the accolade matters because “it’s especially meaningful that the work we’re doing here in Chile is being recognised internationally”.
But the award, she emphasises, is also a reminder of the responsibilities that come with leadership.
“Influence is measured not only by the position you hold, but by your ability to drive change, build consensus and contribute to the industry’s development,” she declares.
A deliberate career pivot
Valdés’ route into gaming is not linear. She spent more than 20 years in strategic communication, public affairs and institutional management before moving into the sector. That experience has shaped her view of leadership.
“Becoming executive president of the association in 2022 was a turning point,” she says. “I joined an industry going through major changes, with the task of professionalising the association and strengthening its role in the debate about its future.”
Since then, she has focused on elevating the association’s voice with government, regulators and other institutions, and on expanding its international engagement.
Valdés underlines the practical work behind the rhetoric.
“One of the things I value most about these years has been the challenge to build bridges,” she says. “We’ve been working with government, authorities, legislation, legislators, business organisations, the police, local governments.”
She points to the association’s participation in international discussion as part of a strategy to import lessons from other markets while shaping domestic policy.
Regulation, competitiveness and illegal gaming
A central pillar of Valdés’ agenda is regulatory reform in Chile, where a bill to regulate online gambling has stall since its introduction in 2022.
Chile’s gaming sector, she argues, needs “clear rules that allow it to deal with technological and regulatory changes”.
The decisions taken now, she warns, will determine whether the sector remains competitive and sustainable in the long term.
“I want to keep helping Chile build a modern, competitive and responsible gaming industry,” she states.
Among her priorities are correcting competitive imbalances, ensuring the sustainability of licensed casinos and tackling illegal gaming, both land-based and online.
She also stresses the economic case for the sector, saying: “We can’t lose sight of the fact that this activity generates jobs, investment, tourism and revenues for regional development.”
Promoting women’s leadership as business strategy
Valdés is explicit about the link between diversity and better decision-making. While she acknowledges progress in raising the profile of women leaders, she says representation alone is insufficient.
“There needs to be real opportunity for [women] to reach a leadership position, take part in decision-making and build a career,” she says. “Having people with different experience, background and perspective enriches the conversation and leads to better decisions, especially in this industry that changes so quickly.”
Her commitment is practical as well as rhetorical. For more than five years, Valdés has been mentoring women through WoomUp, a Chilean organisation that supports women in their careers.
“Promoting women’s leadership has also been a personal commitment,” she says. “Forging connection, sharing experience and creating space for collaboration is a concrete way to strengthen women leadership.”
Advice to aspiring leaders
Valdés’ advice to those who wish to be on future Most Influential Women lists is grounded in the kind of long-term thinking she advocates for the sector.
“My main advice will be not to build a career in pursuit of recognition, but in pursuit of real impact,” she says. “Recognition might come as a result of consistent work, but what really matters is being clear about what you want to contribute and working with conviction to achieve it.”
She encourages people to be bold about moving into unfamiliar areas, noting her own transition into gaming.
“The ability to learn, adapt and bring fresh perspective is essential to growing professionally,” she says.
Equally important, she feels, is networking and reciprocity, adding: “No one builds a career alone. For me, leadership has a lot to do with connection, people building trust and opening up opportunities for others to grow too.”
Looking ahead
Valdés sees the immediate challenge for Chile’s gaming sector as twofold: defending licensed operators against unfair competition while building a regulatory framework that accommodates digital change and fosters sustainable growth.
She also wants to deepen international dialogue, declaring: “The challenge we face requires us to learn more of other markets and build long-term solutions.”
Her tenure so far has been about professionalising the association and amplifying its role in public debate.
Going forward, she intends to keep pressing for regulatory clarity, cross-sector collaboration and stronger enforcement against unlicensed operators.
If her stated priorities are achieved, they could reshape the sector’s competitive dynamics while creating clearer career pathways for women and other underrepresented groups.
Chelsie Cooper
Founder and CEO, Approvely.com
Chelsie Cooper, founder and CEO of Approvely.com, has been named one of iGB’s Most Influential Women for 2026.
Cooper’s recognition follows a 15‑year career that she describes as a steady, deliberate “brick-by-brick” build, shaped by early exposure to payments and fintech at home and crystallised by an unexpected immersion in the gaming sector.
“I grew up hearing a lot about this business of fintech and payments at the dinner table,” says Cooper, whose father worked in the same industry in which she has now made a name for herself. “So, it’s not like something that I pivoted to. I’ve sort of built the journey step by step, brick by brick, over many years.”
That family background anchored her understanding of payments, but it was the complexities of gaming that drew her in and defined much of Approvely’s focus.
A pivotal moment, she says, came with her first operator customer, a company working in the US daily fantasy sports market.
Those early clients exposed gaps in the supplier landscape and helped shape Approvely’s market proposition. “Those first few customers of ours were pivotal for us to really understand,” she explains. “But we’re always learning and always growing.”
Approvely positions itself as a response to what Cooper sees as a misalignment between operators’ rapidly evolving needs and the slower pace of many suppliers. She argues that the industry is seeing constant change, new games, new approaches and the adoption of AI, and that suppliers must keep up.
“The huge gap in the industry is just that the gaming industry is pretty innovative,” she continues. “The suppliers have not caught up to that. So, our goal is to say, ‘let’s actually be that’.”
Events bring visibility
While Cooper welcomes positive signs, she is clear that the sector is not where it needs to be on diversity and inclusion.
“Absolutely not,” she declares when asked whether gaming and fintech are where they should be on DEI.
However, she adds that progress is visible, saying: “I see the industry from my vantage point, leaders of companies that are encouraging and bringing in new ways of thinking.”
Cooper also emphasises the practical value of peer networks. She participates in groups of women CEOs within the gaming sector and sees them as repositories of practical knowledge. “Having that network is super helpful,” she notes.
Many talented women are “heads down building”, she observes, and may miss the visibility that comes from industry events. Her recommendation is to pick quality events and use them to widen your network.
“If you’re looking to expand sort of your reach, then you can start with some of these kind of events where you can meet other people that are doing similar things and throw around ideas,” she suggests.
Sights set on product launches and global expansion
Despite the accolade, Cooper’s focus is forward‑looking. Approvely is preparing a “pretty big product launch” due early next year. Cooper also flags plans for geographic expansion.
Her goal is to ensure Approvely’s platform better matches operator needs and the pace of innovation in gaming.
“We just want it to happen yesterday,” she concludes. “We just have a lot of ambitions around how fast we can get there, and how much we can do.”
Paris Smith
Independent Consultant
Paris Smith, an independent consultant and former long-serving chief executive, says she is “honoured and humbled” to be included on this year’s Most Influential Women list, an accolade she treats as an opportunity to spotlight female talent across the gaming sector rather than personal recognition.
Smith spent 17 years leading Pinnacle and has since moved into consultancy and angel investing.
Reflecting on her career, she describes a trajectory shaped by mentors and steady performance rather than gender-based advantage.
“I’ve always had someone, always a gentleman, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity,” she tells iGB. “But within that, I’ve never felt like I received any opportunity because I’m a woman, but just because of who I am and how I handle myself.”
Her account emphasises three senior figures she calls “the trifecta” – people who hired her because she demonstrated strength, subject-matter expertise and diplomacy.
“They felt I have no ego,” she explains. “I’m extremely strong. I know what I’m talking about. And I’m very diplomatic. So, I understand how to get it done without ticking everybody off around me.”
A pragmatic advocate for awareness
Smith views industry recognition schemes and networks for women as chiefly about raising awareness of the talent already in play.
“It’s important to just highlight that there are women in the industry that are making moves, that are becoming very strong,” she says. “For me, it’s more about awareness than anything else.”
She accepts that gaming remains male-dominated, a reflection, she argues, of the sector’s traditional customer base and the types of roles it attracts.
However, she points to companies that have produced notable female leaders.
“LeoVegas comes to mind, Betsson comes to mind,” she notes. “A lot of the women in our CEO group and things like that come from those two specific companies.”
Still, Smith is frank that progress is uneven.
The remedy, she argues, begins with visibility and then follows through in hiring and promotion decisions, adding: “Obviously, the best person suited for the job is the one that should get it. If it is a woman, then by all means, bring it on.”
From CEO to deal-maker and mentor
Looking ahead, Smith’s priorities centre on supporting entrepreneurs and shepherding innovation.
As an investor and adviser, she is actively helping founders “couple with the right people, with the right partners, with the right investors and just keep the innovation moving forward within the industry”.
She also has investments anticipating exits and says watching those deals complete is one of the most exciting parts of her current work.
“Seeing what I believe to be a solution or something really positive and impactful in the industry coming to fruition on an exit or a merger is super, super exciting,” she declares.
Advice to other women
Smith’s counsel to those seeking recognition or leadership roles in gaming is straightforward: be visible and authentic.
“Be yourself and don’t be afraid,” she urges.
She pushes back against the narrative that women are simply not being invited to speak or take part in conferences, pointing out that organisers also hear many declines.
“Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Let people see who you are. Let people see the strengths, the vulnerability and the determination that you have,” she suggests. “Get out of your comfort zone and show people what you really have to offer.”
At a time when the gambling and wider tech sectors are scrutinised for diversity and leadership pipelines, Smith embodies a strand of advocacy built on demonstration as much as words.
“Part of my role is to really try to inspire and help women to see who they actually can be,” she concludes.