February 2024 Jobs Roundup: CD Projekt Red Expands Project Orion Team

The gaming industry is constantly evolving, with new appointments and transitions emerging regularly. To keep track of these changes, we have compiled a roundup of recent hires and promotions. For companies looking to share their own appointments, please submit the details to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Recent appointments include Dan Wood, who has joined marketing agency Bastion to lead its new B2B division, Folgate. Wood brings 13 years of experience from Ukie, where he served as chief strategy officer and co-CEO. He will provide strategic counsel, games business support, and crisis communications. Meanwhile, mobile game studio Drest has appointed Daniel Svärd as its new co-CEO. Svärd joins cofounder and co-CEO Lucy Yeomans and chair Graham Edwards, bringing nine years of experience from King, where he last served as general manager of Candy Crush Soda Saga. Other recent appointments include Elena Garcia Molina as people partner and Pol Monforte as senior game developer at Sandsoft Games, Rob Whitehead as director of product strategy at Homa, and Andrea Miloro as chief business and strategy officer of Mikros and MPC at Technicolor Creative Studios. Additionally, Nikola Mitic has been promoted to chief operating officer at SuperScale, while Jeff Chaiken has been named senior vice president, head of corporate development and strategy at Skybound Entertainment. CI Games has hired Samantha Bell as its chief people officer, and Technicolor Games has appointed Audran as its onshore art director. Reactional Music has also hired Ben Lumsden, formerly of Epic Games, to oversee the music firm's operations with the Unreal Engine and create partnerships in music and games. CD Projekt Red has announced a series of appointments for its leadership team in Boston, including Dan Hernberg as executive producer, Ryan Barnard as design director, Alan Villani as engineering director, and Anna Megill as narrative director. Alexander Freed has also joined the company to work on the narrative of its new title. Fingersoft has named Faniel Rantala as its first chief growth officer, and video games PR agency has added Anjali Mandalia and Nathan Mills to its management team. Mike McCain has rejoined Harebrained Schemes as its new executive producer, and Mitch Gitelman will assist as an advisor.