Ken Van Damme

Fintech Marketing Pro | CFD & iGaming | Passionate about developing and implementing marketing strategies to grow brands in complex markets

Mesa Geitonia, Limassol, Cyprus

About

CFD trading and iGaming marketing. Specialist in localised 360 marketing strategies that scale acquisition, develop brand equity, and support bottom-line growth. I currently lead the regional marketing team for Exness, responsible for overseeing global regional marketing strategy development and implementation. Developing unique strategies to build brands in complex markets is my passion. I have previously helped launch and scale several iGaming start-ups and established brands including Betway, 10bet, Supabets and Powerbets across Africa.

Experience

  • Regional Marketing Lead at Exness
    Apr 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

    - Lead regional GTM and marketing strategy across LATAM, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, SEA, and the Indian Sub-continent, managing a team of 8 regional managers. - Own regional budgets and P&L, ensuring delivery against commercial targets across all marketing channels. - Drive cross-channel campaign development for clients and partners, while working closely with product, CRM, and analytics teams to optimise conversion and identify and scale growth opportunities. - Ensure full compliance of marketing activities across diverse regulatory environments and align regional execution with global strategic priorities. - Lead brand protection and reputational strategies across AI, Social Media, and PR channels

  • Director at 10bet Africa
    May 2021 - Mar 2023 · 1 yr 11 mos

    - Director responsible for supporting 10bet’s entry into the African market, leading local go-to-market strategy, budgeting, and execution across key regions. - Drove early-stage market development, including sourcing and securing sports sponsorships in Tanzania to build brand presence. - Established relationships with local regulators, supported office set-ups, and led banking and payments integrations to enable operations. - Built and scaled local marketing and operations teams to support launch and growth.

  • Digital Marketing Head - Africa (iGaming start-up) at Opera Software AS
    Aug 2017 - May 2021 · 3 yrs 10 mos

    Leading Marketing for iGaming Joint Ventures across Africa, operating as part of a startup environment within the wider Opera Group. Led the end-to-end launch and scaling of two new brands, expanding into 8 markets within the first year. Owned full-funnel marketing strategy across online and offline channels, with responsibility for marketing P&L and performance against aggressive growth targets. Built and scaled a high-performing marketing team from scratch (10+ reports) across Paid Media, Social, Affiliates, SEO/ASO, CRM, Design, and Marketing Operations. Drove acquisition and retention strategies with a strong focus on CAC efficiency and LTV optimisation in highly price-sensitive, low-ARPU markets. Expanded scope beyond marketing to support local regulators (licensing), payments, KYC, and product integrations, working cross-functionally to improve conversion, onboarding, and overall user experience.

  • Digital and Social Media Manager (Betway Africa) at Osiris Trading
    Dec 2015 - Aug 2017 · 1 yr 9 mos

    Led the digital and social media teams for Betway Africa across 6 markets. Responsible for: - Paid media planning, budget management, and optimisation of paid campaigns - Social Media strategy, including content strategy, influencer management, and overseeing the community team. - Promotion of sports partnerships across digital channels and driving engagement and acquistion through their fan base

  • Business Owner at Self Employed
    Jun 2012 - Dec 2015 · 3 yrs 7 mos

    - Helped small trade-focused businesses set up their online presence (websites, social media pages) and developed digital marketing strategies to grow their online traffic and brand reputation (HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers)