- Emmi Kuusikko, Head of Product, GameHouse
- Jessica Nylund, Enterprise Improvement Director, Reaktor
- Jenny Brusk, Innovation Supervisor, Sweden Recreation Area / Donna
- Mathilde Garreau, Lead Idea Artist, SYBO
- Parker Barry, Founder, Head of Studio, Mugwort Studios
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Final week’s Aurora initiative at PG Connects Nordics 2026 honoured industry-leading ladies whose imaginative and prescient, expertise, management and extra are making their mark in each nook of the Nordic area. Introduced stay on stage in Helsinki and offered by our very personal Paige Prepare dinner (Left of predominant image above), we celebrated 5 industry-leading ladies on the very forefront of the area’s video games {industry}.
The Nordic video games {industry} is bursting with expertise, creativity, innovation and on the coronary heart of it are ladies whose work conjures up, challenges, and pushes the medium ahead. From visionary artists and immersive sound designers to sensible writers, programmers, producers, and trailblazing entrepreneurs, ladies are making their mark in each nook of our sector.
Listed here are the honourees, with data from the nominations we obtained:
Emmi Kuusikko, Head of Product, GameHouse
“Over the previous 20 years, Emmi has helped main studios construct profitable video games and providers throughout cellular, PC and console. Emmi combines a deep understanding of product, enterprise and knowledge with real empathy. She understands the views of various disciplines and is aware of tips on how to construct bridges between them. By listening fastidiously and understanding particular person crew members, she creates sturdy groups constructed on belief. She brings heat to her management whereas nonetheless offering clear strategic path.
“Because the {industry} enters the AI period, Emmi takes the identical considerate strategy: trying past novelty to establish the place AI can enhance organisations, strengthen merchandise and create extra personalised experiences.”
(Centre of predominant image)
Jessica Nylund, Business Development Director, Reaktor
“Jessica Nylund leads enterprise improvement for Reaktor’s Gaming & Leisure follow, constructing and rising relationships with a few of the world’s most demanding sport firms, together with main world publishers and live-service studios. Her work spans net commerce, participant identification, first-party knowledge, AI-assisted help and sport operations – precisely the infrastructure layer that retains fashionable video games commercially sustainable.
“BD at this stage means navigating complicated, senior shopping for environments the place belief compounds slowly and evaporates quick. Jessica has carried out this constantly throughout geographies and throughout very several types of gaming organisations, and in doing so has been central to establishing Reaktor as a premium associate in a market that has no scarcity of distributors.”
(Proper of predominant image)
Jenny Brusk, Innovation Manager, Sweden Game Arena / Donna
“With 30 years of expertise within the video games {industry}, Jenny has been a powerful advocate for gender equality. Whereas working on the College of Skövde, she based the organisation Donna, which performed a key position in attracting extra feminine college students to sport improvement packages. Donna is devoted to fostering range and inclusion within the Swedish video games {industry}, specializing in encouraging feminine, trans, and non-binary people to discover and pursue careers in sport improvement.
“Now at Sweden Recreation Area, Jenny continues her work at Donna by supporting feminine sport entrepreneurs find their place within the {industry} and serving to college students transition into skilled life.”
Mathilde Garreau, Lead Concept Artist, SYBO
“Mathilde Garreau has spent greater than seven years serving to form the artistic identification of SYBO’s video games, most notably Subway Surfers, the world’s most downloaded cellular sport of all time. As Lead Idea Artist, Mathilde has performed a pivotal position in evolving the visible world of Subway Surfers over the previous 4 years, bringing life, coloration, humour and persona to a franchise loved by greater than 150 million month-to-month gamers globally. Mathilde has helped streamline and lead an extremely demanding live-ops content material pipeline, constantly delivering high-quality ideas for environments and characters on a weekly foundation.
“Mathilde leads a completely feminine idea artwork crew and is understood internally for making a supportive and uplifting setting.”
Parker Barry, Founder, Head of Studio, Mugwort Studios
“For the final six years, Parker has labored in product and advertising management at Toca Boca, representing tween women and advocating to help their psychological well being by way of video games in concrete methods. She advocated for a holistic perspective and a scientific change to tasks particularly from the tween lady perspective, with an curiosity in defending their well-being.
“She was the pinnacle of the range and inclusion group at Toca Boca and advocated for a loud stance on inclusion in video games, as she pushed for the primary overtly queer character at Toca Boca to be introduced publicly as a milestone for the corporate’s inclusive illustration.
“Now, she’s working at her personal studio, Mugwort Studios, together with a majority of feminine founders, making video games for non-competitive gamers. Her mission is to carve out more room for ladies within the {industry} but additionally extra video games that meet the psychological wants for ladies out there.”
Earlier honourees
Our congratulations to all!
See here for extra data on the Aurora initiative and former honourees at our occasions around the globe, supported by Ladies in Video games.