Jobs roundup: October | Sumo appoints Andy Stewart as CEO

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 appointees, new role and company, and prior role and company to [email protected].

Sumo appoints Andy Stewart as CEO

Andy Stewart has been appointed CEO at Sumo. Stewart was appointed co-CEO in May 2026 alongside Gary Dunn following the departure of its co-founders Carl Cavers, Paul Porter, and Darren Mills.

Dunn will leave his role as co-CEO at the end of October, with Stewart assuming the position of CEO on November 1, 2026.

Sumo has also promoted Tim Wilson to COO and Emily Large to CFO.

"I'm proud to be taking on the position of CEO of Sumo," says Stewart. "With Tim and Emily adding to the strength of the leadership team, Sumo is in a great position to deliver on its strategic goals, continue making exciting, innovative games, and provide trusted, world-class, co-development expertise to our amazing partners."

Stewart added: "I'd like to thank Gary for his huge contribution to the business. He leaves an indelible legacy of strong and dedicated leadership, and I wish him every success for the future."

Russ Harding joins Rhino Rock Studios as partner and director

Russ Harding has been appointed partner and director at Rhino Rock Studios. Harding previously served as chief creative officer at Maze Theory.

Harding will work alongside Rhino Rock founder and CEO Emma Perkins "to co-lead the studio's next phase of growth"

"At Rhino Rock, Emma and I want to create our own IP and work with brilliant entertainment partners, without being defined by any one platform or technology," said Harding.

Perkins added: "It's fantastic to have Russ joining Rhino Rock at such an exciting point in our journey. We've built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality outsourcing and development for some brilliant partners, while continuing to grow our own creative ambitions and original IP."

"Russ brings an incredible wealth of creative and entertainment experience, and together I genuinely believe we're building a powerhouse for gaming. I'm really excited about what we can achieve together and where we take Rhino Rock Studios next."

Appcharge appoints Ronen Morecki as chief operating officer

Ronen Morecki has been appointed COO at Appcharge. Morecki previously served as VP of Payments at Monday.com.

In his new position, Morecki will lead Appcharge's payment strategy and operations.

"Games are the hardest payments problem in the app economy, with huge transaction volumes and dozens of local payment methods in every market," said Appcharge CEO and co-founder Maor Sason.

"Ronen has built and run complex global payment organisations, which is exactly what we need as we take DTC further and deliver value for publishers in the wider app economy."

Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott voted chair of UKIE

Playstack CEO and founder Harvey Elliott has been appointed chair of UKIE. Elliott succeeds Ustwo Games CEO Maria Sayans, who served as UKIE chair since 2024.

Elliott joined the UKIE board in 2025, and in his new position will lead the organisation as it delivers its five-year Supercharged strategy to "support games businesses and strengthen the economic, cultural, and global impact of UK games."

"The UK has everything it needs to remain one of the best places in the world to build games businesses," said Elliott. "We have extraordinary creative and technical talent, globally recognised studios and a long history of producing games and intellectual property that reach audiences around the world."

"We are also at an inflexion point, the industry has changed in the last few years and we have a real opportunity to build on the strengths that have made the UK a world leader, while ensuring the next generation for games businesses can thrive."

Elliott concluded: "I look forward to working with Nick, the Board and our members to build on the achievements of Supercharged, renew our support for the industry and bring businesses together around a shared ambition for the future."

Chris Collins joins Diva Agency as business development manager

Diva Agency has appointed Chris Collins to its senior leadership team as business development manager.

Collins previously served as director of games and strategy at Ignition Creative. He also worked for nine years at Once Upon a Time (and MJ Media) in a number of business director roles, including three years as managing partner for games and media.

"It is a genuine privilege to join Diva, an agency that I have long admired and who are responsible for some of the games industry’s most iconic creative advertising," said Collins.

"After a career spent working across video games at paid media and integrated agencies as a strategist and planner, I look forward to applying my knowledge of the advertising landscape to increase awareness of Diva’s ever growing capabilities and to help clients identify creative and innovative solutions to their marketing pain points."

Kelly Bennett joins Pantaloon as brand and marketing manager

Kelly Bennett has been appointed brand and marketing manager at Pantaloon following a short term contract.

Bennett previously worked at Rockstar Games as international digital marketing manager, having joined as digital asset manager in 2022.

Chase Chen | Business development lead, games, Google

Chase Chen has been appointed Business development lead, games at Google.

Chen previously served as marketing director and US site manager at Lilith Games, and senior game product manager at Tencent.

Giorgia Arena | Art director for Merge Mansion, Supercell

Giorgia Arena has joined Supercell as art director for Merge Mansion

Arena previously served as lead artist at Metacore, and worked at King for nine years in senior art and design roles.

Pelinsu Arslan | Product manager, Rollic

Pelinsu Arslan has been appointed product manager at Rollic. Arslan previously served in product manager roles at Skyloft and BoomBit.

Sophie Walker | Writer, Rebel Wolves

Sophie Walker has joined Rebel Wolves as a writer. Walker previously worked at Glowmade as narrative designer and game writer.

"It’s a real honour to join the writing and narrative team," said Walker. "I can’t wait to sink my teeth, claws, and other such assorted monstrous appendages into whatever comes next."

Ben Smith | Games marketing specialist, Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ben Smith has been appointed games marketing specialist for PlayStation at Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Smith previously served as marketing manager/project manager at Indie.io. They are also a partner at LambSmith PR.

Jesse Kroon | Lead game designer on Monopoly Go, Scopely

Jesse Kroon has been promoted to lead game designer on Monopoly Go at Scopely. Kroon joined Scopely as senior game designer in August 2024.

He previously worked at Product Madness in game designer and senior game designer roles.

Alice Terrett | Associate director of community, 7 Ways to Die, Behaviour Interactive

Alice Terrett has joined Behaviour Interactive as associate director of community on 7 Ways to Die. Terrett is also community and creator lead at Haven Studios.

She previously worked at Ubisoft as product marketing manager on Assassin's Creed.

Steel City Interactive appoints Murray Pannell as head of publishing

Murray Pannell has been appointed head of publishing at Steel City Interactive. Pannell previously held SVP and CMO roles at Build a Rocket Boy, PlayFusion, and Everreach.

Pannell also held marketing director positions at Ubisoft and PlayStation, and was VP Publishing Europe for 2K. He worked in senior management roles at Electronic Arts and Xbox.

"We have incredibly high ambitions and expectations for Undisputed 2, and hiring someone of Murray's calibre is a real statement of intent," said Tim Coupe, VP of Studio at Steel City Interactive.

"Murray will lead our publishing efforts and join a growing team of renowned industry talent, energised and focused on Steel City’s vision to set the benchmark for authenticity, artistry, and evolution in interactive sports."

Dean Anderson joins MV&P as partner to lead partnerships and go-to-market across APAC region

Dean Anderson has joined partner-led firm MV&P to lead partnerships at go-to-market across the APAC region.

Anderson previously served as group commercial director at Dialect. He has worked with Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Saber Interactive, and THQ Nordic across launches, brand integrations, and partnership deals.

"Dean has spent his career on the commercial side of gaming, and what stands out is his range," said Mike Petricevic, partner, MV&P. "He has sold agency work, built and funded his own product, and taken games into new markets. At MV&P, one partner owns the problem and stays with it through delivery. Dean has worn enough hats to do that brilliantly, and he opens up a whole new region for us."

Code Wizards Group appoints Catherine Bygrave as head of commercial

Catherine Bygrave has been appointed head of commercial at Code Wizards Group.

Bygrave previously served as business development director at Sumo Games, and spent a decade at Activision working across Call of Duty and Destiny. She also held senior commercial and strategic roles at Gfinity, Humble Games, and Sumo Digital.

"I have followed Code Wizards over my career and have always admired the team's ethos and performance," said Bygrave. "I am excited to be part of the team and support the business in its next phase"

Code Wizards Group CEO Stuart Muckley added: "I'm so excited to have Catherine joining our leadership team. The games industry has been changing over the last few years and Catherine is the perfect person to help Code Wizards Group reach the next level."

Michał Platkow-Gilewski promoted to VP of global communications and marketing at CD Projekt Red

Michał Platkow-Gilewski has been promoted to VP of global communications and marketing at CD Projekt Red.

Platkow-Gilewski joined CD Projekt Red as head of marketing in 2011, holding positions as head of global communications, director of public relations and global communication, and VP of PR and communication.

Daniel Smith | Executive producer, Playground Games

Daniel Smith has been appointed executive producer at Playground Games.

Smith previously served as executive producer at Turn 10 Studios, overseeing large-scale product development and production operations.

He also worked as a senior producer and games producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing for nine years, managing the Xbox publishing portfolio.

Gero Micciché | Lead producer, 2K and Hangar 13 Games

Gero Micciché has been appointed lead producer at 2K and Hangar 13 Games.

Micciché previously worked as development director on Battlefield at Criterion Games, and held development director and producer roles at Electronic Arts, Codemasters, and Gameloft.

Bloober Team appoints Tymon Smektala as executive producer of Broken Mirror Games

Bloober Team has appointed Tymon Smektala as executive producer at its curated horror imprint Broken Mirror Games.

Smektala previously worked at Technland for 13 years, with his latest position being franchise director. He joined Techland in 2013 as a game designer.

"After more than 13 years at Techland, I’m taking on a new challenge: leading the imprint, shaping its creative direction and portfolio, and working with talented external studios to bring new perspectives on horror in gaming," said Smektala.

Vik Agarwal | Product team, Roblox

Vik Agarwal has joined Roblox's product team.

Agarwal was previously product leader at Meta, and lead product manager at Zynga. He also held product manager roles at Electronic Arts and Amazon Game Studios.

Daniel Loane | Principal game designer, Zynga

Daniel Loane has been appointed principal game designer at Zynga.

Loane previously served as senior game designer at Fortis Games. He also held senior roles at ZeniMax Online Studios, NetherRealm Studios, and King.