June 2026's Movers and Shakers: PocketGamer.biz expands, King's new CMO, plus hires at Rovio, Scopely and more

To keep you up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the mobile games industry, we've put together a regular roundup of the latest hires, promotions and, in some cases, exits.

If you've recently joined a company or bagged a big promotion, or you're an employer that's just made a hire, drop us an email at news@pocketgamer.biz.

You can also head over to the Careers Zone at PGC Barcelona to connect and discover job opportunities.

The PocketGamer.biz team evolves

We’re delighted to announce that Mariam Ahmad has joined the PocketGamer.biz team as editorial director - events.

In this newly created role, Ahmad will work to connect the website even closer to our global Pocket Gamer Connects events, such as the upcoming PGC Barcelona on June 15th and 16th. She’ll be interviewing the industry’s biggest names and uncovering new insights on the key trends that are pushing the sector forward.

Ahmad has a wealth of experience, having previously been head of content at Gamesforum, as well as working as a Women in Games ambassador. She also has a history in the journalism and content strategy space, with roles at the likes of ExchangeWire, Energy Digital Magazine and Travel Bulletin.

“I’m excited to have Mariam Ahmad join the team - it’s a testament to the growth of PocketGamer.biz and Pocket Gamer Connects that we’re expanding the team and bringing in someone of her experience into the fold,” said PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple.

“Our PGC events in 2026 are taking us around the world, from the UK, US and Sweden to Spain, China, Finland, Thailand and more. Ahmad will play a key role in both the PocketGamer.biz site and our events, ensuring we’re always engaging with the industry and talking about the top trends that shape it.”

Aaron Astle has been promoted to the role of features and data editor at PocketGamer.biz.

He’s been part of the team for nearly five years, having first joined us on a placement out of university, where he achieved a First Class Honours in Creative Writing.

Since then he’s also held the role of News Editor after officially joining the team full-time in September 2023. In his new role, Astle will continue to interview key figures in the industry, having spoken with execs from the likes of King, Scopely, SYBO, Rovio, Kuro Games and many more.

A keen eye for data, he will also analyse the latest industry trends, utilising top data platforms like AppMagic, Sensor Tower and others.

“I’m delighted to promote Aaron to the position of features and data editor,” said PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple.

“Aaron has been instrumental to the work we’re doing on the site and supporting our global Pocket Gamer Connects events - whether that’s conducting interviews with the industry’s major players, breaking news stories or writing insightful data articles on key trends and the world’s top games."

Leadership roles at King and Rovio

Luken Aragon has been promoted to chief marketing officer at King after 12 years with the company.

He’s spent the past four years as VP of marketing for Candy Crush Saga and works predominantly from the company’s Barcelona studio. From Candy Crush to King’s broader portfolio, moving forward he hopes to find new ways to connect with people beyond the games themselves.

"Today, I'm excited to share that I'm stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at King. King has been a big part of my journey for many years. It’s where I’ve grown, been challenged, learned from outstanding leaders and worked alongside teams that have constantly raised the bar," Aragon posted on LinkedIn.

Aragon has previously shared numerous Candy Crush insights with PocketGamer.biz, interviewed on a range of subjects from daily game Candy Crush Crushable to the brand’s IRL takeover of the Intuit Dome.

Rovio has hired Scopely veteran Diego Labajos to the role of game lead for Smash Ball, a PvP sports action game. Labajos will be responsible for evolving the arena experience into a scalable, live‑ops‑driven business.

He brings experience heading up live ops at Scopely and serving as lead product manager on Star Trek Fleet Command, also bringing knowledge in D2C transformation and web spend events. Prior to Scopely, Labajos spent almost six years at SocialPoint in a range of roles.

"Angry Birds was the first real game I installed on my iPod Touch back in 2010. Ending up at Rovio, inside the Sega family, would have blown my younger mind," he posted on LinkedIn.

Scopely and Tilting Point secure new hires

Epic Games and Blizzard veteran Cassandra Villareal is making the move to Scopely, joining as a senior corporate brand and communications manager.

Villareal will begin in her new role this July, following time out for her wedding and honeymoon. This next position will mark the latest step in her communications career, following roles like communications manager and later senior communications manager at Epic.

At Blizzard, Villareal worked in a range of roles like public relations coordinator for esports and global public relations manager.

"Thank you to everyone who reached out, checked in or helped open doors these past few weeks. It meant a lot. You know who you are. This year has been filled with big (and very welcome) life changes. I'm so excited for what's in store, but for now, back to wedding planning," she posted on LinkedIn.

Elisa Lopez has joined Tilting Point as director of UA partnerships, based in Madrid.

She’s made the move after more than half a decade at Addict Mobile, where she ran UA campaigns for clients. Her last position at the company was team leader, user acquisition, where responsibilities included showcasing services, supervising UA campaigns, auditing prospects’ ad accounts and more.

"After six incredible years at Addict Mobile running UA campaigns across a wide range of clients and verticals, I'm stepping into this new adventure - working at the crossroads of user acquisition, partner success and mobile growth. I couldn't be more thrilled," Lopez posted on LinkedIn.

Promotions, hires and job changes across the industry

Xbox has appointed Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer, expanding its leadership team. Meanwhile, Scott Van Vliet has been named chief technology officer.

Hal Mogridge has joined King as a senior financial analyst. Asawari Joshi has started a new role as senior cloud engineer.

Room 8 Group has appointed Juanita Draude as CEO, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience across media and entertainment.

After four years at Nazara, Saikat Mondal has stepped down to found a new startup, with more details expected soon.

Misha Osintsev has joined Wooga as senior director of marketing and growth.

Samahith Shetty has joined Zynga as an associate producer, bringing experience from Hitwicket.

Caroline Norbury, founder and former CEO of Creative UK, has been appointed as Aardman's chair of trustees.

Ihor Tymofieiev has joined Netflix Games as full stack software engineer L5.

Artur Grigorjan has left Kwalee after almost two years, having served as senior director of mobile games for more than half of that time.

Nellyvision co-founder Elaine Green has been named the new chair of UK games industry trade body TIGA.

App marketing company SplitMetrics has appointed Hawley Shpiro to the newly created role of managing director of the Americas.

Side has announced a reconfiguration of its executive team, including the promotion of Olivier Deslandes to COO and Martin McBride to CCO. At the same time, Sijo Jose has been appointed chief services officer and Kaley Hurst has become chief marketing officer.

Dicle Manas has been hired as a product specialist at Fuse Games.

ZiMAD’s Egor Pauliuk has been promoted to head of growth after just five months with the company.

Papaya has hired Shay Shahar to the role of HRBP manager.

Jehan Moorthy has joined ESL FACEIT Group as head of crew and staff hospitality, Esports World Cup.