Eliane Nunes - Head of Revenue & Commercial Growth at Atucha Strategic Advisory
Eliane Nunes – Head of Revenue & Commercial Growth, Atucha Strategic Advisory
In recent years, Eliane has held commercial leadership and partnership roles in complex B2B environments, with a strong focus on Brazil’s regulated market. Her experience includes strategic partnerships, account management, marketing, internal communication, branding, and market positioning, consistently acting as a bridge between commercial, technical, regulatory, and executive teams.
More than job titles, however, what truly defines her trajectory is how she understands leadership. For Eliane, technical skills can be taught, but values cannot. Active listening, real presence, tough decisions when necessary, and respect for people are pillars that run through her professional practice. In an industry increasingly driven by technology, she believes sustainable innovation comes from diverse perspectives, intergenerational collaboration, and the ability to lead without losing humanity.
Outside the corporate script, Eliane brings strong cultural references, sharp humor, a genuine passion for people, and an honest relationship with her own choices, successes, and mistakes. In this interview, she talks about childhood, career, ethical dilemmas, female leadership, legacy, and the future with the same frankness that has shaped her journey: no shortcuts and no compromises on who she is.
We spoke with Eliane Nunes to learn more about her career path, her vision for the evolution of iGaming in the Brazilian market, and the human side of an executive who today plays a key role in partnership and business development strategies within the sector, in a new edition of More than a Game.
The Origin
Where were you born?
I was born in Santos, on the coast of São Paulo. But just to be clear, football-wise, my heart and soul belong to Corinthians 😊
If you could walk today through the neighborhood where you grew up as a child, what would you remember?
I still go there quite often since my father still lives in the same house we moved into when I was seven. I remember walking barefoot and taking rain showers in the old yard covered with broken tiles on summer afternoons.
If you could go back in time to those years, what would you like to be doing?
Always with my brother Fernando, either taking one of those rain showers or skating around the waxed yard, turning our white school socks red. As a teenager, spending mornings bodyboarding at Divisa Beach with my friend and sister at heart, Renata.
Which part of that child is still present in your life today?
The ability to be enchanted by simple, everyday things like a sunrise, the sound of the sea, or a small act of kindness between people. And more than that. I was born and raised in an analog world, and I still find myself in awe of scientific and technological progress.
What did that child dream of becoming when she grew up?
When I was in fifth grade, the world had just given a name to AIDS, and I used to say I would study Biochemistry and discover a cure. Later, I actually learned what studying Chemistry was like and realized my path was really in the Human Sciences.
Professional Journey
What was your first paid job?
My very first job was a small gig selling tickets for a TV host Xuxa concert in October 1988 at Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos. I worked at a kiosk in front of Miramar Shopping Mall, wearing a pink cap with two blonde braids. As a famous Brazilian meme says: “What kind of Xuxa show was that?”
What was your first job in the betting and gaming industry?
I was working at Clarion Events Brazil, and from 2016 onwards the local office started collaborating with Clarion Gaming on the Brazilian Gaming Congress (BgC). From 2017, I was directly responsible for producing the conference panels, and that’s when I realized this industry would become my professional home.
What do you like most about this industry?
The people and the overall vibe. It’s a serious business, full of processes, rules, and regulation, but at the same time there’s plenty of room for relaxed, sometimes even agenda-free networking, with real connections and exchanges. Of course, nothing is perfect, and like any industry, the human side can disappoint at times. Still, I see a reasonably safe space where I can occasionally allow myself to “walk barefoot,” like the child who grew up in Santos without worrying too much about thorns or broken glass.
Which trends will shape the future of betting over the next five years?
For a regulated market to have a future, a few things are essential: 1) fighting the illegal market without penalizing the legal one with rules and taxes that make the business unviable; 2) understanding that being truly data-driven means actually reading the market and letting consumer preferences feed product development, instead of repeating in front of the mirror that your own product is the best while pushing more of the same; and 3) localization, localization, localization.
What concerns you most about gambling addiction?
It is essential to more strictly regulate social media content and influencer activity, especially when betting is associated with promises of social mobility or “life-changing” outcomes. This type of narrative is sensitive and requires clear limits. Recently, Márcio Falcão from Casa de Apostas raised a fundamental point: betting platforms do not grant credit to compulsive players. Credit is granted broadly, and often irresponsibly, by the banking system, with little concern for repayment capacity, suffocating interest rates, and structural indebtedness.
Treating gambling addiction exclusively as a betting issue oversimplifies a problem that involves financial education, credit policy, responsible communication, and shared institutional responsibility. Without a systemic debate, we address the symptom and ignore the cause.
If you had to choose one boss who marked your professional journey, who would it be?
My trajectory, especially in iGaming, has been much more influenced by colleagues than by managers. I won’t name names because there are many people who inspire me daily and help shape, each in their own way, the professional I aim to be.
What was the best professional advice you ever received?
Does reverse advice count? Once, when I asked for help with an operational issue, a boss told me, “Those who carry the piano will never be the pianist.” That stayed with me. It wasn’t about job boundaries, but about lack of care. I learned that leadership, to me, is the opposite: being present, knowing how to play the piano, helping carry it when needed, and making sure the concert actually happens.
If you had to summarize your leadership philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?
Leading is about creating an environment of active listening, having the willingness to lower your guard and truly hear, not just waiting for your turn to speak. And don’t give me that 'daily grind is too busy' talk. Poor communication is a recipe for rework. That is a waste of time. Looking someone in the eye and truly listening is not.
What do you value most in a job besides salary?
A collaborative and human environment where the pursuit of excellence and results does not come at any cost.
If you hadn’t worked in this industry, which profession would you have chosen?
I’ve always felt closely connected to the Third Sector, especially in education or environmental causes. I once dreamed of working in corporate communication for Fundação Ayrton Senna or Greenpeace.
Quick-Fire Rounds
A book you would recommend?
Small Anti-Racist Handbook by Djamila Ribeiro (Brazil, 2019)
A movie that impacted you?
The Milky Way by Lina Chamie (Brazil, 2007)
Favorite food?
Baião de Dois (the one I cook myself)
Wine or beer?
Aperol Spritz 🙂 but if I have to choose, beer
A place in the world to live?
Italy
An unfulfilled dream?
Owning a hybrid car
A hobby or passion outside work?
Karaoke, board games, and cocktail-making
A personality you admire?
Luiza Erundina, a Brazilian political leader recognized for integrity, social justice, and consistency between discourse and practice.
Office or home office?
Home
A day at the beach or in the countryside?
If there’s a pool, lake, or waterfall, definitely the countryside
Employee or entrepreneur?
Collaborator
Are leaders born or made?
Both views are valid, but only work with humility, the ability to listen, and the willingness to rethink certainties.
Family & Friends
If your parents had to describe you without mentioning your job or achievements, what would they say?
That I’m restless, dedicated, and very questioning. That I don’t tolerate injustice, don’t settle, and always choose the path I believe is right, even when it’s usually the hardest one.
How would your friends describe you?
As someone loyal, trustworthy, human, fun, and the owner of one of the best “bear hugs on the planet.”
Who is the person who still dares to tell you “you’re wrong” when everyone else says yes?
My life partner, Flávio, my brother Fernando, and my best friend, my sister by choice, Patrícia.
How much did your family influence where you are today?
My family background has always been simple and affectionate. We never had luxury, but we had more than the essentials, which is a privilege in a country as unequal as Brazil, along with access to good education. My father could certainly have had more if he had compromised values like honesty, but he never did, and I could not be more grateful for that example of life conduct.
Who is someone who is far away or no longer physically present that you would like to hug, and what would you say to them?
I would hug Brazilian singer and songwriter Renato Russo (1960-1996). I would thank him for so many songs and poems that will always be part of my soundtrack and that of so many others. I would apologize for not having studied Biochemistry and discovered a cure for AIDS, as I dreamed when I was a child. But I would also celebrate with him how much medicine has advanced and say that, if it were today, he would probably still be on stage, singing and touching lives. And that, despite the many challenges that still exist regarding respect for diversity, today he would be freer to overflow with all the love he carried.
Successes & Failures
What would you say to your younger self when she was suffering or about to give up?
Not everything is about you, and everyone carries their own battles. But empathy does not mean invalidating the impact of crossfire on your own life.
What was the hardest decision you made in your career, and what did you learn from it?
It was leaving a job abruptly after a manager questioned my moral integrity, something I found unacceptable. I overestimated my ability to find immediate reemployment and went through a critical financial period, relying on the support of family and friends. Looking back, I know I could have acted with more emotional intelligence. Still, I recognize that decision was also a way of preserving my values. Over time, I faced even more stressful situations where emotional intelligence prevailed, but that choice remains an important marker of boundaries and integrity.
What was your greatest achievement and what did it mean to you?
After a lengthy selection process, I was awarded a scholarship from The Rotary Foundation and spent nearly the first half of 1999 living and studying English in Atlanta, GA, USA. The initial scholarship was for three months, but thanks to my mother, who sold her only small apartment so I could stay for an additional two months of study, I was able to return to Brazil fluent in the language. It was my first passport, my first visa, my first stamp, and, in fact, my very first airplane trip.
Beyond learning the language, it was a personal milestone, an experience of autonomy and immersion in multiple cultures. It was then that I realized just how far I could go. I also carry with me my mother’s example of courage, generosity, and her unwavering advocacy for education; she always believed that any sacrifice was worth it so that my brother and I could have the opportunities she never had..
The Legacy
Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
In projects that make a real difference in iGaming, working and leading with purpose, autonomy, and impact, surrounded by capable, good people, with time to live beyond work, and the curiosity and willingness to keep learning.
How would you like to be remembered?
As an ethical, fair, fun woman genuinely fascinated by people. Someone who truly listened, respected others, and never gave up her values, regardless of the position she held.
If you could give one piece of life advice to someone else, what would it be?
Don’t negotiate your values to fit into places that don’t respect you. But don’t kick or slam the door either. Close it with class, strategy, and don’t forget to throw the key away. 🙂
What question have you never been asked in an interview that you would like to answer?
How the iGaming sector truly deals with female leadership. Too often we are interrupted in meetings, and our sensitivity to critical issues is mistaken for weakness. Initiatives like AMIG have been fundamental in increasing visibility and dialogue, but there is still a long road ahead. And we keep walking it in our own way, with high heels and lipstick, or not.
Which industry colleague would you like to see answering this interview?
Luis Felipe Maia, Celina Guedes, Gina Macheri.