Catena Media secures six nominations at the Vixio Global Regulatory Awards 2026

Catena Media has received six nominations at the Vixio Global Regulatory Awards 2026, announced on 5 October 2026. The entries recognise the company’s professionals and teams in compliance, legal and marketing governance; winners will be revealed on 18 November 2026 during the Decade of Diamonds ceremony in London.

Details of the six nominations at the Vixio Global Regulatory Awards 2026

The company is shortlisted in six categories combining individual and team nominations. The full list presented by Catena Media is as follows:

• Chief Compliance Officer of the Year – Liv Biesemans

• Compliance Professional of the Year – Fiorella San Martin

• Head of Regulatory Affairs or Government Relations of the Year – Emeline d’Ollone

• Regulatory Lawyer or In-House Counsel of the Year – Martin Kerscher

• Legal Team of the Year – Catena Media

• Marketing Compliance Governance Excellence Award – Kenneth Pordon, Valentina Giommoni and the Marketing and Legal & Compliance teams at Catena Media

These nominations cover executive functions, in-house counsel and teams that manage the governance of commercial campaigns and regulatory compliance.

What these nominations mean for Catena Media and its regulatory position

The six mentions focus on three concrete areas within the group: compliance, in-house legal counsel and marketing governance. Catena Media is competing for awards that, by Vixio’s design, recognise both the technical capacity of professionals and the implementation of internal processes geared to safer gambling standards and regulatory compliance.

The recognition includes individual categories — for example, the nominations of Liv Biesemans, Fiorella San Martin, Emeline d’Ollone and Martin Kerscher — and team nominations, in which the company competes for Legal Team of the Year and for a specific award on marketing governance. That last category highlights collaboration between the Marketing and Legal & Compliance teams, nominally represented by Kenneth Pordon and Valentina Giommoni.

Context on the award and the Decade of Diamonds ceremony

The Vixio Global Regulatory Awards recognise organisations and professionals who drive regulatory excellence and compliance innovation within the gambling industry. The 2026 edition will present its awards at the Decade of Diamonds ceremony in London on 18 November 2026.

The event is an established platform for awarding regulatory best practice and initiatives in areas such as player protection and corporate governance. Catena Media has stated its intention to attend and to follow the awards with the rest of the industry.

How the nominations connect to internal roles and compliance strategy

The entries indicate an internal workstream where compliance and legal are interwoven with commercial activity. The nomination for the Marketing Compliance Governance Excellence Award shows attention to controls over marketing communications and cross-department coordination to ensure regulatory conformity.

Legal teams competing for Legal Team of the Year typically submit evidence of policies, regulatory case management or responses to legislative change; Catena Media’s nomination implies the company has submitted its internal practice for assessment under that framework. The presence of a Regulatory Lawyer of the Year nominee and a Head of Regulatory Affairs or Government Relations nominee suggests the firm retains roles dedicated to engagement with authorities and tracking regulatory frameworks.

What to expect before and during the results

Vixio will announce the winners on 18 November 2026 in London. Until then Catena Media and the other nominees remain on the public shortlist, and the company expects to communicate the outcome after the ceremony.

For operators and suppliers monitoring compliance standards, these nominations indicate which teams and profiles are gaining visibility in the regulatory sector. Attention will now be on the Decade of Diamonds ceremony, where the awards will be confirmed.

How this may affect the market and service providers

The visibility from multiple nominations can make it easier for clients and partners to evaluate Catena Media as an interlocutor with proven capability in compliance and marketing governance. At the same time, confirmation of awards in November could strengthen the reputation of the company’s legal and compliance teams.

For legal and compliance service providers, the shortlist signals continuing demand for solutions that integrate legal advice, regulatory risk management and control of marketing campaigns. The internal teams nominated — including Kenneth Pordon and Valentina Giommoni — are natural contact points for collaboration in these areas.

"We view these nominations as recognition of the joint work between our legal, compliance and marketing areas," Catena Media said in its statement.

Next steps and editorial follow-up

Catena Media has invited readers to follow updates ahead of the ceremony and will publish results once the winners are announced on 18 November 2026. The complete 2026 finalists list is available publicly on the awards’ website.

For related reading on regulatory governance and compliance, see our coverage in [regulation](/regulation) and in the [b2b](/b2b) section for analysis on how these dynamics affect suppliers and operators.