MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The Top 30 Women in Games are today announced, with the spotlight being shone on the most influential and inspirational female professionals from across the whole of the UK industry.
The Top 30 – voted for by a panel of leading industry executives will be honoured at an awards ceremony next month (Thursday May 19th) at the Hamyard Hotel, London. There the winners of the six special award categories will also be announced.
The 2016 Top 30 Women in Games are:-
Debbie Bestwick – MD, Team 17
Katherine Bidwell – Co-Founder, State of Play
Emily Britt – Senior PR Manager, Europe, Pokemon Company
Noirin Carmody – Co-Founder, Revolution; Chair, UKIE
Cat Channon – Director of PR, WB Games
Jo Cooke – Director of Marketing, Frontier Developments
Jessica Curry – Composer/Studio Head, The Chinese Room
Rosemarie Dalton – International Marketing Manager, Bethesda Softworks
Angela Dickson – Sales Director, Activision
Amanda Farr – Head of Content & Services, Xbox
Gina Jackson – MD, Next Gen Skills Academy
Charlotte Knight – UK Retail MD, GAME
Nina Kristensen – Co-Founder, Ninja Theory
Veronique Lallier – VP European Publishing, Hi-Rez Studios
Roberta Lucca – Co-Founder, Bossa Studios
Keza MacDonald – Editor, Kotaku
Caroline Miller – MD, Indigo Pearl
Kat Osman – MD, Lick PR
Kirsty Payne – VP, Special Effect
Rhianna Pratchett – Scriptwriter
Siobhan Reddy – Co-Founder, Media Molecule
Helena Santos – Lead Programmer, Modern Dream Games
Sarah Seaby – European Marketing & PR Director
Fiona Sperry – Founder, Three Fields Entertainment
Giselle Stewart OBE – Director of Corporate Affairs, Ubisoft
Dr Maria Stukoff – Head of Academic Development, PlayStation
Timea Tabori – Engine Programmer, Rockstar North
Dr Siobhan Thomas – Head of Games Courses, London South Bank University
Dr Jo Twist – CEO, UKIE
Catherine Woolley – Senior Games Designer, Creative Assembly
These 30 join the three special winners from last year’s awards:
Margaret Pearson – CentreSoft
Julie Man – Marjacq Man
Gabrielle Kent – author, lecturer
The judges will now vote on the winners of six special awards, and we will be announcing the finalists later this week. Those awards are:
Rising Star – This category recognises a leading up-and-coming talent from any sector of the business. The judges expect most nominees to be under 30, but consideration will also be given to women who are new (less than three years) to the industry. The category is sponsored by WIGJ.
Businesswoman of the Year – An executive who has had a stellar 12 months in terms of driving a company forward and generating significant revenues.
Creative Impact – Recognising talent in games development and design.
Unsung Hero – Honouring the vital support roles in the industry, including QA, community managers, studio managers, PR and HR.
Campaigner – A special award for someone working for or with a games-related charity, or working within a community to use games as a force for change, inclusion, education or improvement.
Outstanding Contribution of the Year – The award will reflect upon the life of someone who has had a lengthy and successful career at the top of the industry, making positive contributions to the commercial success and public profile of the games industry.
Women in Games (WIGJ) was established in 2011 as a ‘not for profit’ organisation. It works to recruit, retain and support the progression of women in the games industry by positively and actively promoting female role models and giving encouragement and information to those women seeking to work in games.
The MCV Women In Games event takes place at the Hamyard Hotel, London on Thursday May 19th. Tickets are priced at just 49 and are available by clicking here.
A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Lesley McDiarmid (lmdiarmid@nbmedia.com) or Conor Tallon (ctallon@nbmedia.com) to find out more.
