A trip to Malta next morning beckoned for Tees Tech Awards category winner Ashley Wood.
But Ashley’s imminent morning flight, just hours after he picked up the Rising Star trophy from Gary Potts – vice-principal for business innovation at category sponsor Middlesbrough College – was very much work-related.
And hopping on a plane is a fairly common occurrence for Ashley, whose conversion platform, iConvert, helps online casinos, sportsbooks and crypto gaming brands turn wasted traffic into deposits.
He explained: “The online gambling industry is quite international, so I usually travel about three weeks every month to places like Malta, Gibraltar, Las Vegas – I’m actually flying to Malta at 6am tomorrow for an industry event.
“This industry is very ‘network heavy’ and people don’t necessarily meet each other only via social media, so we go to events, we exhibit, we show our clients what we have to offer and just try and make really good connections.”
From working in Subway to fund his studies to stints as a hotel quality assurance manager in Cyprus and Tenerife, Ashley’s journey has been anything but conventional.
But every role he took built the skills that help him spot problems, find solutions and refuse to accept ‘that’s just how it is’.
Returning to Teesside, he climbed the ranks to sales director at Salesfire before making the bold move to take over iConvert.
In 2024, aged just 28, he completed a management buyout, securing full ownership and scaling the business globally.
And now, from an office on Albert Road, Middlesbrough, the six-string iConvert team is transforming conversion figures in the online gambling and gaming world.
Ashley, who pipped Colewood Digital’s Jessica Mulligan and Danny Reed of Invictus Media and Marketing to the Rising Star title, said: “It started as a hobby a few years ago but for the last year or so, we’ve been working on it full-time, so it’s nice to be recognised and hopefully it’s the first of many awards for iConvert!
“It began originally as an idea six years ago, but I’ve really honed it in the last two. Basically, we’re a conversion platform that helps online casinos verify their players and make sure that ultimately, they aren’t spending more than they should be in the industry – so we’re safeguarding online people in the gambling and gaming space.
“We spent a few years part-time building the project and then about a year and a half ago, I decided to jump into it full-time and after the first 12 months, we’re on track for a £1.5m turnover.
“And hopefully this is just the start. We need to keep building and improving the product, improving client results and making sure we keep building the culture, hopefully hiring more people and then we’ll just see where it takes us.”
The Rising Star category was one of 11 handed out at the sixth Tees Tech Awards, which were organised by Tees Business in association with keynote sponsor Applied Integration.
The event, attended by around 300 guests, also featured an inspiring speech from reigning Tees Businesswoman of the Year Danielle Croce and fundraising for autism and neurodivergence charity Daisy Chain.
Click here to read more about the awards:
Game-changing night for Tees Tech Awards – Tees Business
Tees Tech Awards 2025 rollcall – Tees Business
Female tech pioneer urges aspiring leaders to ‘stay in your own lane’ – Tees Business