Jobs Roundup: February 2024 | CD Projekt Red grows Project Orion team

It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.

If you have new appointments or transitions in your company that belong here, please send the names of the appointees, new role and company, and prior role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.

Dan Wood | Director, Bastion Folgate

Dan Wood has joined marketing agency Bastion to lead its new b2b division, Folgate.

His duties include strategic counsel, games business support, and crisis communications.

Wood's professional experience includes working at Ukie for 13 years. He currently holds the positions of chief strategy officer and co-CEO.

He also had a three-year stint as a game and immersive associate with Creative England.

"I'm really excited to be heading up Folgate and to provide expert advice and the practical support that games businesses need to confidently engage in these and other crucial areas, as well as helping to tell their stories to the widest possible audiences," said Wood.

Daniel Svärd | Co-CEO, Drest

Mobile game studio Drest has hired Daniel Svärd as its new co-CEO.

He joins cofounder and co-CEO Lucy Yeomans and chair Graham Edwards.

Svärd's work history includes working at King for nine years, where he last served as general manager of Candy Crush Soda Saga.

He also had experience as a board member of the Association of Swedish Game Developers, having worked with the trade body for three years.

Svärd said, "I am so happy to join Lucy and the team…I really look forward to working with the teams to help Drest achieve its full potential and deliver this new games to the world."

Sandsoft Games expands team with duo hires

Sandsoft Games has announced two new appointments to the company.

Elena Garcia Molina has been hired as people partner, and Pol Monforte joins as a senior game developer.

Molina's work history includes a two-year stint at Smilegate Barcelona, and in her last position, she served as a senior HR business partner at Popcore.

Meanwhile, Monforte brings seven years of experience as co-founder and senior game developer at Binary Phoenix.

Before his new role at Sandsoft Games, he worked as senior game developer at WarDucks.

Rob Whitehead | Director of product strategy, Homa

Homa has named Rob Whitehead as its director of product strategy.

Whitehead previously served as head of content strategy at Carry1st before his new position.

His career history includes an eight-year stint at Scopely; he last held the role of lead product manager.

In the announcement of his hiring, Whitehead said, "After almost a decade in mobile gaming, I'm eager to continue my path in this industry at such an ambitious company where I can bring my passion and knowledge to an already exceptional portfolio and contribute to the creation of successful new titles."

Andrea Miloro | Chief business and strategy officer, Technicolor

Andrea Miloro has taken on the additional role of chief business and strategy officer of Mikros and MPC at Technicolor Creative Studios.

Miloro will continue serving as president of Mikros Animation. She will oversee the development and commercial growth MPC and Mikros, replacing Christian Roberton in the position.

She joined Technicolor in 2021, and during her career, Miloro served as co-president at Twentieth Century Fox.

Nikola Mitic | Chief operating officer, SuperScale

SuperScale has promoted Nikola Mitic to the role of chief operating officer.

Before joining, he worked at Playstudios Europe as a general manager.

His career includes an eight-year stint as CEO of COFA Games.

In the announcement of his hiring, Mitic said, "I am stepping into a new adventure as the COO at SuperScale…The transition to SuperScale is not just a change in position but also an opportunity to impact the gaming industry in new and meaningful ways."

Jeff Chaiken | SVP, head of corporate development and strategy, Skybound Entertainment

Jeff Chaiken has been named senior vice president, head of corporate development and strategy at Skybound Entertainment.

His responsibilities will include assisting with fundraising, M&A, and building partnerships.

Chaiken brings with him experience that includes working at EA for a decade as head of corporate development and strategy.

"Skybound has a broad portfolio of beloved content and IP, and a high-caliber, experienced team comprised of the industry's top talent, and I am looking forward to working with this team to continue Skybound's impressive global growth," he said.

Samantha Bell | Chief people officer, CI Games

CI Games has hired Samantha Bell as its chief people officer.

Bell brings with her a career that includes a two-year stint as an HR business partner and site HR lead at PlayStation.

Before her new role, she worked as head of human resources at Firesprite.

"I'm extremely excited to join CI Games as the company's first Chief People Officer," said Bell.

"I'm looking forward to working alongside Marek and the rest of the executive leadership team here, with my wealth of experience, as we look to evolve and strengthen our people engagement strategy."

Audran Guerard | Art director, Technicolor Games

Technicolor Games names Audran as its Onshore art director.

Guerard will oversee the art production team and maintain global client interactions. He will report to Paul Houlders, vice president and global head of art.

Guerard's work history includes working at Ubisoft for 11 years, where he last served as an art director. He held a similar role at EA and DistrictWave. He also worked as lead artist at Square Enix Montreal for two years.

"I am really eager to start this new adventure at Technicolor Games, meeting new people and working on new projects. I look forward to getting close to the artists and understanding where I can be of value to them," he said.

Ben Lumsden | Reactional Music

Reactional Music has hired Ben Lumsden, formerly of Epic Games.

Lumsden's responsibilities will include overseeing the music firm's operations with the Unreal Engine and creating partnerships in music and games.

During his career, he worked as head of studio at The Imaginarium Studios. He was with the firm for four years.

While at Epic, Lumsden had a six-year stint as a senior business development lead.

"Music and creativity needs great tech and creative minds to enable the new generation of music delivery, consumption and creation. The consumer is more sophisticated, more creative and they spend more time in digital worlds," said Lumsden.

"Music and audio has such an important role to play in the new era of gaming and creator worlds as consumption habits change to become part of these digital worlds."

CD Projekt Red expands North American studio

CD Projekt Red announced a cohort of appointments for its leadership team in Boston to work on Project Orion.

Dan Hernberg joins as an executive producer; Hernberg last served as head of production at Amazon Games.

The company also appointed Ryan Barnard as its new design director. Barnard's career includes working at IO Interactive as gameplay director.

Alan Villani has been named engineering director at the studio. Before this new role, he worked as vice president of technology on WB Game projects.

Narrative director Anna Megill joins CD Projekt Red as lead writer on Project Orion. Her credits include Control, Avatar: Frontier of Pandora, and Guild Wars 2.

Alexander Freed also joins the games firm to work on the narrative of its new title. Freed brings career experience, such as working at Bioware as lead writer for six years.

Daniel Rantala | Chief growth officer, Fingersoft

Fingersoft has named Faniel Rantala as its first chief growth officer.

Rantala joined the company seven years ago and climbed the ranks during his tenure.

He last served as director of business development before his promotion. Rantala's work history also includes being CEO at Namida Diamond Factory.

"I am thrilled to embark on this journey of further accelerating growth within Fingersoft. With an unwavering focus on innovation and strategic partnerships, we're poised to unlock new opportunities in the dynamic and constantly changing gaming landscape," he said.

Dead Good announces new appointments

Video games PR agency has added to its management team with duo appointments.

Anjali Mandalia has been named account manager, and Nathan Mills has joined as influencer relations manager.

Mandalia previously worked as junior PR manager with Frontier Developments. Mills' career history includes a five-year stint at Koei-Tecmo as a senior PR and marketing executive.

Meanwhile, Michael Yee was appointed to the position of influence relations manager.

Mike McCain | Executive producer, Harebrained Schemes

Mike McCain has rejoined Harebrained Schemes as its new executive producer.

While working on its next project, he will oversee the company as it transitions back to an indie focus.

Meanwhile, Mitch Gitelman, founder and studio manager, will assist McCain and the development as an advisor.

As a visual development artist, McCain's career experience includes a one-year stint at Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation.

"I'm thrilled to be back in the virtual office with this amazing team," said McCain. "There will be plenty of challenges, but the creative momentum we have around this new project right now is exhilarating. We're a small crew making something we really believe in and I can't wait to share," he said.