Hi I’m Kiki and I work as a Senior Studio Art Director for the Candy Crush games in Stockholm, I’m responsible for both talent management and product development. Talent management involves, for instance, being here at THU looking for talented people to hire ;) Product development is mostly visual development; I look after and make sure we further develop Candy Crush tactics and strategy to ensure consistency and the best possible experience for the player.

Apart from my studio role I also drive a dear side project. Together with a colleague I have created a training programme and invented a digital tool, the “Diversity Space Tool”, currently in development, to empower game developers to create more inclusive game characters. It’s about time to break the norm and become more innovative and inclusive, as people should be equal in our society and we should all be equally represented in the media we consume. 

I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years, but I must confess I ended up in it by coincidence! I grew up in Luleå, a small steel industry city in the north of Sweden and I studied economics and languages in high school. I have always been creative but to have a creative career was something I did not think was possible. My plan was to work with something traditional like economy or tourism. What’s good is that I can still type really fast without looking at the keyboard and speak French (but not at the same time!) :)