Her Story
About Catherine
Catherine Lynch serves as Vice President of Global Partnerships at Softibet in Boston, Massachusetts. With nine years of experience in the online sportsbooks and casino industry, she previously worked at DraftKings Inc. and Underdog Fantasy before joining Softibet three months ago. Lynch earned her bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in political science from UMass Amherst. Her expertise centers on sports partnerships, client management, and analytics focused on return on investment. She attributes her success to the lessons in hard work, resilience, and kindness imparted by her single father. Lynch volunteers annually with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of her mother, who passed away from leukemia in 2001. She values integrity, resilience, and kindness in both her professional and personal life, and she advises young women entering the field to recognize their unique experiences and use their voices confidently.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Catherine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was raised by a single dad, and he really just taught me all about hard work, resilience, being kind. Kind of people, and understanding how all those three together can really push you forward to end up in the best spot.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my former vice presidents at DraftKings told me if I'm going to fail, fail smart. Anytime that things aren't great as that's successful, that you are learning from it, you are growing from it. Everyone fails in their career, but it's the people who learn from those mistakes and come up with better solutions in the future, the ones that really tend to move their career along.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think I always say to young women who are entering any industry is just remember that you are the only person who's ever had your experience, and they hire you for a reason, so don't give away your power. Don't think because you're young, you don't know good ideas, or you can't give feedback. Your voice is a powerful thing you have, so always use it and come to the table with thoughts.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My industry is pretty volatile, and a lot of people have opinions on it, so that is definitely a challenge. When you get involved in the gambling industry, you really need to understand that people have their thoughts and opinions on it, but it's about shaping the industry for the better and understanding what do we need to make it more protective for consumers while remaining an entertainment product. The number one opportunity really is what we can do for the community. Legalized sports gambling in the U.S, every state takes a tax cut of that. That goes to fund public schools and roads and gambling addiction programs. It really is amazing of how we can really use something that is entertainment and fun to give back to the community and make sure that we're improving the livelihoods of the community that actually holds us up.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say integrity, I really respect people who are honest and transparent, and I try to live that by myself every day. Resilience, I think it's so important to be resilient. Life really can kick you down, both in professional and personal. The people who are able to pick themselves up. It's not about being positive every day, but knowing that better things are to come during those tough times. And just so you know, kindness, making sure that you treat everyone with respect and decency, no matter what their background is. We're all just trying to figure it out for the first time here.
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