To keep you informed about the latest executive movements in the mobile gaming industry, we’ve compiled our monthly roundup of key hires, promotions, and notable departures.
Whether you’re an industry veteran starting a new chapter, a rising star celebrating a big promotion, or a company proud of a recent hire, we want to hear from you. Drop us an email at [email protected], and you might just see your update featured in next column!
Taewon Yun, a seasoned veteran in the gaming industry, has been appointed as the Senior Vice President and Head of Game Strategy at NCSOFT.
With over two decades of experience, Taewon has held leadership roles at renowned companies, including Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Wargaming, Super Evil Megacorp, and founded Red 5 Studios and Fey Twin Research.
In his new role at NCSoft, Taewon will be responsible for shaping the company’s game strategy, driving innovation, and overseeing the development of its gaming portfolio. His extensive expertise will play a crucial role in enhancing NCSoft’s global presence and creating new, engaging gaming experiences for players worldwide.
Alexandre Salem has been promoted to Executive Vice President for MENA & APAC, two of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally, at Stillfront.
Before joining Stillfront, Salem held prominent leadership roles in the gaming and tech industries, including positions at Huawei, Google, and King.
In his new role, Alexandre Salem assumes full P&L accountability for the MENA and APAC regions, overseeing six prominent business units: Jawaker, Moonfrog, Babil Games, Imperia, Everguild Ltd, and 6Waves.
He will be reporting directly to the Group CEO and will serve as a key member of Stillfront’s Group Executive Management team. Additionally, Salem will be contributing as a board member for selected Stillfront studios, further strengthening the company’s strategic oversight and leadership.
Seongjun Kim has been appointed as CEO of Com2uS USA.
With over 20 years of experience in the tech and gaming industries, Kim brings a wealth of expertise to the role. His impressive career includes leadership positions at notable companies such as Neowiz and KRAFTON.
Most recently, he served at Hyundai Autoever America before making his return to the gaming sector.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Kim reflected on his decision to re-enter the gaming industry, stating, “Returning to the gaming industry was not an easy decision, but I was captivated by the vision and passion shown by the leadership at Com2uS Korea HQ and the potential growth opportunities that Com2uS USA could achieve.”
As CEO, Kim is poised to lead Com2uS USA in strengthening its position within the global gaming market, leveraging his extensive industry knowledge and strategic leadership to drive innovation and growth.
Melanya Laz has been appointed as the new Head of Growth at Elevatix, where she will lead the company’s efforts to scale its reach, expand revenue opportunities, and deepen its impact on the mobile gaming industry.
In her new role, Melanya will focus on driving strategic initiatives, optimizing user acquisition strategies, and identifying growth opportunities to solidify Elevatix’s position as a leader in mobile game monetization.
Elevatix leverages cutting-edge machine learning technology to help mobile game developers unlock new revenue streams and optimize monetization strategies.
Aliaksandra Tryfanava has been promoted to the role of Monetization Lead at Hitapps, marking a significant milestone in her professional journey within the company.
Since joining the company in 2022, Tryfanava has made significant contributions by establishing monetization processes from the ground up.
Her expertise spans the full ad monetization lifecycle, from strategy development to execution, alongside hypothesis generation and rigorous test management.
In her new role, Tryfanava will spearhead the company’s monetization strategies, driving revenue growth while continuing to innovate in ad management and optimization.
Kemal K. has been appointed as the Head of User Acquisition at Miniclip!
Since joining Miniclip in 2023 as UA Team Lead, Kemal quickly advanced to Senior UA Lead last year, demonstrating his expertise and strategic leadership in driving user acquisition initiatives.
In his new role, Kemal will oversee the company’s global user acquisition strategies, leveraging his extensive industry experience to further enhance Miniclip’s growth and reach.
Prior to joining Miniclip, Kemal held the position of Head of Marketing at Rollic, where he played a key role in scaling the company’s marketing efforts.
Andrew Dubatowka has joined Neon as the Head of Marketing!
Neon, the all-in-one marketing, D2C commerce, and payments platform for video game developers and publishers, has appointed Andrew Dubatowka as its new Head of Marketing.
In his new role, Dubatowka will oversee Neon’s global marketing strategy, focusing on driving brand visibility, customer acquisition, and industry leadership within the gaming and payments sectors.
Dubatowka brings over a decade of diverse marketing experience, having held leadership roles at globally recognized companies including IPG Mediabrands, AdColony, Visa, Coda Labs, and Sanlo.
Games Industry Veteran Mike Wallis has joined Epic Games as the Director of Product Management, Online Social.
Epic Games has announced the appointment of Mike Wallis as Director of Product Management, Online Social, further strengthening its leadership team with a highly experienced industry veteran.
With a career spanning more than 30 years, Mike brings unparalleled expertise to his new role, where he will lead the development and expansion of Epic Games’ online social strategies.
In this pivotal position, Mike will focus on enhancing the social aspects of Epic’s platforms, creating innovative tools and features to connect players, foster communities, and enrich their gaming experiences.
Mike brings with him a wealth of experience, having held key positions at industry-leading companies such as Sony Interactive Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment, DoubleDown Interactive, NCSoft, Kabam, Microsoft, and SEGA. His diverse background in product management, live operations, and game development uniquely positions him to lead this exciting new chapter for Epic Games’ social initiatives.
David Shin has joined Azra Games as the Director of Product Management!
With over 15 years of experience in the gaming industry, David has built an impressive resume, starting his career at MGAME and going on to work with renowned companies such as Gameforge, SEGA of America, Gumi America, Electronic Arts, and Scopely.
In his new role at Azra Games, David will be responsible for shaping product strategy and ensuring the studio’s games deliver innovative and engaging experiences.
PTW has announced the appointment of industry veteran David Dorans as its new Chief Financial Officer.
Reporting directly to CEO Deborah Kirkham, Dorans will lead PTW’s global financial operations and support the company’s continued growth initiatives.
With over 20 years of financial leadership experience, Dorans brings a wealth of expertise to the role. He previously served as CFO at Mirriad Advertising and held prominent positions at Channel 4, BBC Studios, and UKTV.
“I’m thrilled to be joining PTW, a company whose work is synonymous with creativity and innovation in the gaming industry. Having navigated a range of challenges and embraced various opportunities in my previous roles, I look forward to collaborating with the team to create initiatives that blend financial prudence with a passion for excellence. It’s all about supporting the visionary, AI-powered projects happening at PTW while maintaining a solid financial footing.” commented David Dorans on his appointment.
Giorgio Giussani has been appointed as the Creative Strategist at Netflix, where he will be based in Rome.
In this new role, Giorgio will focus on developing innovative creative strategies to support Netflix’s content and brand initiatives, leveraging his extensive experience in storytelling and brand building.
At Netflix, Giorgio is expected to bring his expertise in crafting compelling narratives and his ability to connect brands with diverse audiences. His role will involve collaborating across teams to enhance Netflix’s creative impact, ensuring the brand continues to resonate with its viewers around the world.
Sara Guerola Carbó has been announced as the new Chief Growth Officer at Media Bodies, a data-driven influencer marketing agency known for its work across YouTube, Podcast, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram on global campaigns.
Reflecting on her new role, Sara shared on LinkedIn:
“As I step forward, I’m excited to explore new opportunities to grow, innovate, and make an impact—not just in mobile gaming but also across the industries Media Bodies serves. I will focus on driving growth strategies and sharing the knowledge I’ve gathered over 13 years to help others create more engaging and effective user acquisition efforts.🧠”
Super Evil Megacorp has announced that Ian Fielding, the studio head, has been appointed as its new CEO. Kristian Segerstrale, the company’s long-serving chief executive, will transition to the role of executive chair.
Fielding joined Super Evil Megacorp in 2021, bringing extensive experience from his previous roles at Insomniac Games and Riot Games. At Riot, he served as senior production manager, contributing to the launch and operations of the hit game Valorant.
Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games, has stepped into the role of CEO at NextBeat – a new venture focused on music apps and games. Joining him is Derek De Filippo, who has been appointed as Head of Business Development and Partnerships at the company.
“Excited to announce that I’m starting a new project that a bunch of us have been cooking up with Supercell for a while now. Will reveal all soon.” wrote Simon on LinkedIn.
Stefana Pesko has been promoted to Head of Socials at Product Madness, taking on the exciting responsibility of leading the company’s social media strategy and execution.
In her new role, Stefana will oversee the development and growth of Product Madness’s social channels, ensuring alignment with the brand’s vision while driving engagement and building meaningful connections with its global audience.
James Dobrowski has joined Jagex as Senior Vice President of Product, where he will lead the company’s product strategy and vision.
In this key role, he will oversee the development and direction of Jagex’s game portfolio, driving innovation and delivering world-class experiences to players around the globe.
Sonia Donaire García has joined Tangelo Games Corp. as its new Marketing Director.
Sonia brings over 18 years of industry experience to the role, having previously served as Senior Marketing Director at Tilting Point.
In a post on LinkedIn, Sonia expressed her gratitude, stating, “I want to thank 🙏 Oscar Fonrodona, Isabel Guerrero Cervilla, and Gerard Garcia Canet & team for the opportunity and their warm welcome.”
Sony Group Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) have announced key leadership transitions.
Hideaki Nishino will become President and CEO of SIE, succeeding Hiroki Totoki, who will step down as SIE Chairman to assume the role of President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation. Hermen Hulst will continue as CEO of the Studio Business Group, reporting to Nishino.
Additionally, Lin T., currently SVP of Finance, Corporate Development, and Strategy at SIE, will become CFO of Sony Group Corporation. Her successor at SIE will be named later.
Ten Square Games has named Dayan E. Yar as its new Chief Product Officer.
With over 17 years of experience in the gaming industry, Yar has held leadership positions at Zynga, SciPlay, and Playstudios, bringing a wealth of expertise in product strategy, LiveOps, and game innovation.
Elizabeth Howard, former vice president of production at Bungie, has joined U.S.-based publisher Midwest Games as chief advisor of services.
Howard will play a key role in advancing Midwest’s new “shadow publishing” model, which offers tailored, cost-effective publishing solutions to game developers.
Savvy Games Group has appointed Nika Pari Nour as its new Senior Vice President and Head of International Business Development.
Bringing over 13 years of experience in the games, technology, and entertainment industries, Nika will spearhead efforts to forge strategic international partnerships for Savvy Games Group.
Renowned games industry veteran Leanne Loombe has been appointed as the EVP, Head of Games at Annapurna Interactive.
In her new role, Loombe will oversee publishing, development, and creative strategy for Annapurna’s games portfolio, reporting directly to Hector Sanchez, the company’s president of Interactive and New Media.