In the Blood

Growing up in Atlantic City and watching her father work in the gaming industry, Lauren O’Brien knew it was inevitable where she would make her career. Now, as a business development executive at Aristocrat Technologies, she is starting to realize the beginning of that goal.

After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, O’Brien started her career in the gaming industry in the marketing and promotions department at Bally Technologies. There, she developed national promotions programs and gained invaluable introductory exposure to the casino industry. “While the work was rewarding, I realized a desire to grow and expand within the industry,” O’Brien comments.

In 2012, O’Brien accepted a marketing position at Interblock, where she was able to parlay her previous promotions experience into a more integrated marketing position. Her time at Interblock allowed her to expand her skill sets and become exposed to advertising, public relations, collateral creation and client interaction.

It was also at Interblock that she had the opportunity to work with her best mentor, her father, Tom O’Brien, now a senior executive at Scientific Games.

“My father has been a mentor throughout my career; he has guided me in the right direction throughout my life,” she says. “Being able to work with him at Interblock was a special and beneficial experience early on in my career.” 

After developing her marketing skills, O’Brien was offered a job at her current company, Aristocrat Technologies, in the marketing department.

She spent a brief spell in the marketing department, learning the business and culture of Aristocrat before transitioning into her current position in the sales department.

“I have always had sales as my next goal, and have enjoyed the transition,” O’Brien says. “When you know the products from the marketing side of the business, it makes a transition to sales a natural and lucrative experience. If you know how to market the product, you will definitely know how to sell the product.”

O’Brien is very much looking forward to expanding her experiences in sales and seeing where this part of her career in the industry takes her.

Outside of her daily work routines, O’Brien values the ideals of mentorship. This was instilled in her through the interactions with her father growing up, working at Interblock and now at Aristocrat. While there is a bit of healthy competition between her and her father, there is still a strong mentoring relationship.

O’Brien also has taken it upon herself to begin mentoring younger entrants to the gaming industry. She speaks regularly with graduates from the UNR program that she attended, providing career and development advice.

Her mantra to those students and recent graduates includes to “stay active and have a strong work ethic. It is important to be humble and go hat-in-hand to any situation. The industry is very rewarding, but you have to be open to putting in the time and effort, learning from previous experiences and growing into new ones.”