“Discrimination drove me to break every glass ceiling out there”

Throughout her career, Noga Halperin, Chief Revenue Officer at SciPlay, experienced discrimination in various places. ”For example, I went through a long recruitment process with a telecom operator. I passed the many phases and in the last interview, the HR manager asked about my family. I had a baby at home that was less than a year old and she asked me to explain what my plan would be. She said there was no way I would be able to do my job full time. And, of course, I did not pass.” Halperin continues with a sad smile. “Sometimes employers are worried about your work/life balance, especially if it's your first born. They just don't trust you can find the right balance to suit their company. Here at SciPlay we go as far as hiring women who are pregnant as we believe in the long term.”

Noga Halperin, CRO at SciPlay.

At 21, Halperin became one of the very first employees at MarketWise before moving to Africa with her boyfriend who got an offer to train pilots in Angola. Halperin tried to find an opportunity to join him and work there as well.

“That was the time in my life where I found the drive in me and I decided I will break every glass ceiling out there. That is because I joined the company as a spouse, with everything that comes with a spouses’ contract, and that killed me. I felt that my mission was to make the company understand that I am not there as a spouse. I really wanted to get my own contract as Noga and not as ‘Noga the spouse’ and so I became super motivated and driven.

“Eventually, the guy I was with went back to Israel and I received my own contract and I was not a spouse anymore. That was really important for me. That is where I learned that you just need drive and everything is possible. Most Israelis there were men and I loved that. I loved the feeling that I was doing something that opened opportunities for more women. When I returned to Israel that drive stayed with me.”

CTech's She-inspires series follows the stories of various female leaders in Israel. The interviewees hail from various sectors: some work at high level positions in large organizations, some are founders, and some are key players in industries aimed at changing the world for the better. The goal is to learn where they came from, where they are going and how they are bringing inspiration to an entire sector making its way towards a glass ceiling just waiting to burst.

Tell me about SciPlay and your role there.

"SciPlay is a gaming company, we started from social casinos and currently, we are in the top three companies in the industry and we are expanding to casual and hyper casual. Some games we acquire and some we develop in-house, even here in Israel. We are a public company listed on Nasdaq and we are growing so it is super interesting.” Regarding her position Halperin elaborates: “The Chief Revenue Officer role is very different between companies and it's a relatively new role. I manage marketing and user acquisition which are huge revenue drivers at SciPlay. I also manage customer support and VIP clients as well as new revenue streams, ad monetization and global expansion.”

Halperin, who manages 140 employees in Israel and abroad, explained how she approaches her work/life balance. “I manage to block a few hours everyday for my kids and then after they go to sleep, and sometimes even before, I am back online.

“There are three main things that help me. I learned early on where and when I need to be fully engaged and where and when I can let go. You need to find that balance and think about it constantly as what was true today may not be true tomorrow. Also, as a young mother I was open to shared responsibilities, my husband was always involved. He can take over without me needing to tell him what to do. In addition, I get help and outsource things that aren't critical. And of course, I work hard and always did. I didn't expect to be promoted, but I always wanted to stand out. I always wanted others to think they needed me to be in the room.”

Halperin is one out of five children and she is the youngest along with her twin sister. “My parents were always successful, hard workers. Also, work was always a high priority at home. My mom used to joke and say ‘don't call me unless the house is on fire’,” said Halperin.

“Also, our parents didn’t praise us which caused us to want to prove ourselves. They would never say anything super positive about us or our achievements, then we would hear the praise through their friends. It is what caused us to be very driven. We are all that way and we found spouses that can support our careers just like my parents did for each other.”