Hello Games’ Tim Woodley elected new Ukie chair

Tim Woodley, head of publishing at Hello Games, has been elected as Ukie’s new chair.

Woodley replaces Stu Disney, chair of Curve Digital, who stepped down as chair of Ukie at the conclusion of his term.

EA’s commerical market director Samantha Ebelthite was selected as Ukie’s new vice chair, replacing Dave Gould, senior director of Sales UK and Export at Take 2 Interactive, whose term has also ended.

Liz Fitzgerald, director of finance and operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment, was reappointed Treasurer of Ukie.

The Ukie board elections saw five members successfully elected to the board. Jo Cooke (Bossa Studios), James Dobrowski (Sharkmob), Robert Kinder (Payload Studios) and Jay Shin (Arrogant Pixel) were newly elected, with Thomas Hegarty (Roll7) winning another term.

The board, which now consists of 23 directors, is the most diverse board in Ukie history, in terms of gender and ethnicity.

“It’s an absolute honour to be elected chair of the Ukie board,” said Tim Woodley, Head of Publishing at Hello Games. “We’re living through one of the most exciting, but also exacting times for our industry. We are well-placed to capitalise on the opportunities and to meet the challenges head on.

“We have an amazingly talented and dedicated Ukie team and a board which represents the diverse facets of the UK industry. I’m looking forward tremendously to bringing my experience across development and publishing in all its shapes and sizes and helping steer the sector through the next era.”

“Once again, it’s great to see that the industry has elected such a diverse and experienced board to represent it,” said Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie. “The team at Ukie strives at all times to do its best to support the entire UK games industry, but having the backing of such a wide range of industry voices and perspectives makes our job easier.”

“I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you Stu Dinsey, Dave Gould and the other outgoing Ukie board members. They have provided an invaluable service to the organisation and I wish them all the best in the future.”