Tara Garcia Alvarez: Championing Leadership, Kindness, and Gender Equality in the Industry

_{Tara Garcia Alvarez offers an insight into her coaching and the future for women in the industry. (Image: Alan Evans/Casinos.com)}

Tara Garcia Alvarez is the inspiring founder of TYS Coaching, a leadership development company rooted in determination and empowerment. She is also a member of the Global Gaming Women network (GGW).

She named her business after a famous boxer—Mike Tyson—because of her childhood nickname "Tys," reflecting her fierce spirit and resilience. This determination continues to shape her coaching philosophy, which focuses on helping clients unleash their full potential with a no-nonsense yet engaging approach.

The Meaning Behind TYS Coaching

Tara's company offers coaching to people within the gambling industry including the land based and online casino industry. Tara explains: “TYS Coaching isn’t just a name; it’s a promise to help you pack a punch, unleash your potential, and make an impact. With a no-nonsense approach, a knack for efficiency, and an innate ability to put others at ease, it’s my mission to make sure the time invested with me is both valuable and engaging.”

Her Journey to Coaching

Her passion for coaching was born out of experience leading high-performing marketing teams. Tara navigated managing diverse personalities, driving performance, and fostering growth—experiences that gave her insight into the pressures of balancing team success with individual development, tough conversations, and inspiring others while meeting targets.
 
With a background in Communications & Psychology and an ILM Level 7 qualification in Coaching & Mentoring, Tara combines a deep understanding of human behaviour—such as why tough conversations keep leaders awake at night—with proven coaching strategies to unlock leadership potential.

A Conversation in Valletta: Insights on Women, Men, and Industry Shifts 

We caught up with Tara on the rooftop garden of the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, Malta, during a Global Gaming Women Networking lunch where some of the most powerful women in the gaming and casino industry were spending some time together. When asked about the value of events like NEXT.io, she shared her perspective:

Tara: “I just love bringing women and men together. I do need to emphasise that we also do invite men here. In fact, I had someone come up to me and tell me, oh Tara, I walked in, and I thought I was at the wrong event because I saw lots of men here. We want male allies. The mission for us is that it's not a level playing field and I think the more we just say it's a level playing field, we need men on board to make it a level playing field, that's where all the value is going to come out.”

Reflections on Women’s Progress and Future Milestones

When discussing the women who paved the way and what the future holds, Tara emphasised her leadership philosophy:Tara: “I always talk about leading with kindness. It's what I do within my coaching work, but I just want everyone to be kind. I personally, I can say I can tolerate ignorance, but I can't tolerate unkindness. So that would be my legacy.”

Evolving Roles and Gender Responsibilities

Casinos.com asked Tara about the shifting roles of women beyond work, particularly in family settings:

Tara: “I think it's getting a lot better, a lot, lot, lot better. I mean, I'm blessed to have a husband who's very hands-on, very into it but no one ever told him how you cope with your job when you've had a child. That’s something that I think the more we speak about and when I've questioned him, I've said, has anyone ever questioned how you cope with your career and our son? Oh, no. Okay. So, I think it's just verbalising it.”

Challenging Language, Gender Stereotypes Beliefs and Perceptions

Tara was keen to tell us how she believed that perceptions of women and behaviours towards women are changing but that a lot of work remains to be done.

Tara: “Why are women, regardless of their position, normally in a meeting, they're not a minute taker but they're the first one to start taking the minutes? Why? It is unescapable that the evolution of the casino industry has been male dominated. 

We asked Tara if she was seeing a shift and if the male domination was giving way to more powerful women in board rooms.

Asked if the balance was shifting and if she was seeing more powerful women emerging and seated at the top in boardrooms Tara said:

“Big time. I do not think it's male-dominated anymore. I think it's really changing. Yes, okay, there might be a little bit of an imbalance and natural things, but I don't think there's something that we see in the gambling industry with men and women that we don't see in any other industry.”

Words of Encouragement to Future Women Leaders

Finally, when asked what advice she would give to women who have paved the way, Tara responded with gratitude and optimism:

Tara: “I would say thank you, kudos to you, thank you and we'll keep it going.”

Tara Garcia Alvarez continues to inspire through her leadership, coaching, and advocacy for kindness and gender equality. Her insights highlight the ongoing progress and the importance of collective effort in creating a more inclusive and supportive industry for all.