JOÃO DAVID SIMÕES DE SÁ FARDILHA
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Accomplished gambling professional with over 10 years of experience working with multijurisdictional operators of various sizes. Skilled Project and Product Manager, iGaming and
Compliance Advisor with deep expertise in operations, technology, and business analysis.
Specialised in translating stakeholders’ needs into technologically feasible solutions,
ensuring efficient requirement gathering and designing solutions that meet the needs of
the business, the teams, and the end user.
Extensive experience in developing product frameworks and optimising processes to
enhance operational effectiveness. Proven expertise in delivering scalable product
frameworks, solution architecture, and compliance-focused products that drive both
business growth and regulatory alignment.
With hands-on experience in gambling operations, compliance, and product
development, and a background in marketing, I bring a holistic approach to creating
solutions that align with commercial, technical, compliance and operational requirements
across teams.
WORK EXPERIENCE
February 2025 - PRESENT
Clever Advertising
Company’s Description: Affiliate Marketing Agency
Location: Portugal
Head of Delivery Management
Milestones:
Reorganised the Product Team into a delivery-focused sub-department and led its
integration into the Corporate Engineering Department
Introduction of AI tools to support product mockups and documentation
Partnered with the engineering team to stabilise existing solutions and redefine the
system’s architecture, establishing a solid foundation for faster future development
while ensuring scalability and security best practices
Rebuilt stakeholder relationships with a strong focus on value delivery
Other Responsibilities:
Mentoring the IT department and some select stakeholders with knowledge of the
igaming sector
Providing new market perspectives, identifying emerging geographies and
potential players
Supporting the business in mapping its processes, improving change requirement
refinement and reducing the current backlog
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
WORK EXPERIENCE
August 2022 - PRESENT
Trigniconica Unipessoal Lda
Company’s Description: Technological Consultancy
Location: Portugal
Managing Director
Milestones:
Set up a PAM for an external client
Oversee daily operations and manage project timelines
Lead the development team by assigning tasks and tracking project milestones
Manage client relationships, including gathering requirements, delivering regular
status updates, and obtaining feedback for continuous improvement
Coordinate with vendors to manage integrations and maintain communication
across external partners
Other Responsibilities:
Translate client needs into technical specifications, establish priorities, define MVP,
and incorporate these requirements into the development roadmap
Provide iGaming consultancy and compliance advice to startup businesses,
ensuring adherence to industry best practices
Carry on hiring processes, maintain team growth, and manage accounting and
financial tasks related to company operations
January 2021 - PRESENT
Crucial Compliance Ireland
Company’s Description: Compliance Consultancy
Managing Director
Milestones:
Provide strategic technology advisory to the board, supporting technology-driven
decision-making for compliance initiatives
Other Responsibilities:
Oversee the development team as needed, ensuring alignment with organisational
goals and compliance standards
Collaborate with stakeholders to establish best practices in gambling compliance
and compliance technology
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
WORK EXPERIENCE
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
January 2021 - November 2021
Crucial Compliance
Company’s Description: Compliance Consultancy
Location: Gibraltar, Portugal (Porto), Ireland
Principal Engineer
Milestones:
Built and led a team of web developers, setting up foundational processes for team
efficiency and technical collaboration
Assessed and initiated projects from the ground up, overseeing architecture,
planning, and defining implementation phases to ensure alignment with the client
requirements and compliance standards
Other Responsibilities:
Designed and developed scalable, compliance-focused products and solutions,
tailored to unique regulatory requirements and client-specific needs, while
leveraging deep industry and operational knowledge
Managed client relationships, gathering requirements, providing regular updates,
and integrating client feedback into product iterations
Communicated with internal stakeholders, including compliance and business
analysis teams, as well as the board, to ensure alignment and address
organisational priorities
Main Technologies: php, Symfony, SqlServer
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
WORK EXPERIENCE
August 2020 - January 2021
Company’s Description: Freelance
Location: Spain
Engineering Project Manager
Responsibilities:
Provided consultancy services in technology and web platform development for the
online gambling companies
Scoped functionalities and third-party integrations required for a customer and
case management system, addressing clients’ needs
Defined the platform’s framework, core logic, and key milestones to guide
development phases and ensure project alignment
Gathered and analysed requirements from internal and external stakeholders,
translating business needs into actionable technical specifications
Provided technical documentation and user manuals, facilitating understanding
and training for development teams and the end-users
Worked closely with product owners and other stakeholders to ensure alignment
with project goals, adjust priorities, and incorporate ongoing feedback
Main Technologies: php, Symfony, SqlServer
May 2018 - September 2020
XCM
Company’s Description: Online Gaming / CRM Consultancy
Location: Gibraltar
Business Analyst / Solutions Architect
Milestones:
Received a High Quality Award for highlighting and promoting quality business
practices, earning commendations from colleagues and clients
Established a development team from the ground up, serving as an interim team lead
to guide and mentor team members
Other Responsibilities:
Provided consultancy and business analysis on the effectiveness of CRM journeys and
campaigns, offering clients insights for optimisation
Conducted business analysis for gambling operators of various scales and jurisdictions,
identifying potential gaps in customer relationship management and retention
strategies
Evaluated the effectiveness and outcomes of CRM and marketing campaigns,
identifying opportunities to enhance customer engagement
Developed an affiliate management tool to identify bad actors from both compliance
and business logic perspectives
Main Technologies: php, Symfony, SqlServer, ElasticSearch, PowerBi
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
WORK EXPERIENCE
November 2014 - April 2018
Cassava Enterprises/888 Holdings
Company’s Description: Online Gambling Corporation
Location: Gibraltar
BI and Web Developer, Mail Marketing Consultant
Milestones:
Served as the sole developer in Gibraltar, achieving a high degree of autonomy
while independently driving multiple projects from concept to completion
Other Responsibilities:
Maintained and developed several tools to help day-to-day operations, from
customer support, responsible gaming, CRM and the translations team
Consulted by other areas of the business on both technical and operational
matters, guaranteeing department interoperability
Ensured that technological solutions were implemented to support Business and
Product Teams, including CRM optimisation and the automation of operational
processes to enhance efficiency
Analysed the operational processes of B2C teams, identifying pain points, providing
tailored solutions to support daily tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance
productivity
Main Technologies: php, MySQL, MongoDB, python, NodeJs, Neo4J, Oracle's
RightNow, Oracle Costumer Portal
May 2014 - November 2014
Tradimo
Company’s Description: Financial Services and E-Learning
Location: Gibraltar
Senior Development
Responsibilities:
Maintained and developed the e-learning platform
Consulted during the sale of the company on a few strategic matters
Technologies: php, MongoDb, MySQL, Javascript, Jenkins, RabbitMq, Aws
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
WORK EXPERIENCE
September 2012 - May 2014
Fullscreen
Company’s Description: Web Development, Content, Digital Image
Location: Portugal
Back and Front End Developer
Milestones:
Alongside managing day-to-day tasks and development projects, took on a hybrid
role as both client manager and developer, translating customer needs and goals into
actionable
deliverables.
Facilitated
communication
between
clients
and
the
development team, ensuring that technical solutions aligned closely with client
expectations and business objectives
Created a complex scoring algorithm for a photography website that was used until
the website closed in 2022
Main Technologies: php, MySQL, Javascript
April 2011 - September 2012
Freelance Consultant in Digital Marketing, Guerrilla Marketing, Creative Hub
Location: Portugal
Project Manager, Back End Developer, Copywriter
Responsibilities:
Managed projects from inception to completion, including gathering client briefs,
developing and executing creative strategies, supporting technical implementation,
and analysing data to assess campaign effectiveness
Main Technologies: php, MySQL, Javascript
September 2010 - June 2011
Metatheke Software
Company’s Description: Incubator Startup, Web/DRM/Web publishing business
Location: Portugal
Junior Web Development
Responsibilities:
Maintained of an e-library and e-book rental platform
Main Technologies: C#, MsSQL Javascript, Adobe DRM
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João David Simões de Sá Fardilha
OTHER INFORMATION
EDUCATION
Integrated Masters in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Aveiro University,
(Unfinished)
Erasmus in Wien Technology University
LANGUAGES
Portuguese - Native
English - Excellent
Spanish - Limited Working Proficiency
French - Limited Proficiency
SKILLS
Stakeholder Management
Road mapping and Prioritisation
Software Development
Code Review and Quality Assurance
Resource Allocation
System Design and Architecture
API Integration and Management
Technical Documentation and Specification
Performance Tuning and Optimisation
Requirements Analysis and Solution Prototyping
Troubleshooting and Problem-Solving
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