Planet of Lana and Viewfinder publisher Thunderful Group is implementing a new leadership structure under new CEO, Martin Walfisz, who took the helm in August 2023.
Chief games officer, Agostino Simonetta, is departing the company to embark upon a “new adventure” with the executive reshuffle underway, having joined the company in 2021 as as chief strategy and investment officer.
Simonetta is a notable loss for Thunderful given his experience working as the director of global partnership management at ID@Xbox, a role he held for around seven years prior to joining Thunderful.
Discussing his departure on Linkedin, Simonetta explained he will officially exit on January 31, 2024, and thanked his colleagues for their support over the years.
“I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone at Thunderful Games for welcoming me into the company, supporting me, and, most importantly, for always providing honest and direct feedback. Their dedication, hard work, and creativity have been truly inspiring,” he wrote.
“Thunderful Games is truly fortunate to have one of the best leadership teams I’ve had the pleasure of working with in over 20 years.”
Thunderful appoints “proven leaders”
That leadership team has now been bolstered with the appointments of Claire Boissiere, Harriet Hughes, Kathrin Strangfeld and Sue Smith, all of whom have been hired in executive roles.
Boissiere has been named EVP of studios and development, having previously served as VP of studios. She will also remain studio director of Somerville developer Jumpship.
Hughes, who joined Thunderful in June as VP of marketing, is now EVP of publishing. In her new role, she will over all Thunderful marketing and will be responsible for all commercial publishing and sales activities.
Strangfeld has been appointed VP of operations, and will now be responsible for identifying, planning, and implementing strategic and operational improvements across the group.
Finally, Smith will step up as group vice president of people and culture, overseeing all HR processes and departments within the company.
Walfisz said the new executive team has over a “century of experience at the highest level” and comprises “proven leaders.”
“Claire, Harriet, Kathrin and Sue are highly respected across the industry and will continue the fantastic work they have started at Thunderful as they, alongside the rest of our strong executive management team, navigate future business challenges and opportunities,” he added.