the judges

We have brought together some of the most influential and knowledgeable figures in the UK games industry to serve on the MCV Women In Games Awards judging panel.

anisa sanusi

Anisa is a UI/UX Designer at Hutch for mobile games and also Program Director of Limit Break, a mentorship program for underrepresented genders in the games industry.

Throughout the years, Anisa has cultivated a devotion to ethical UX design, speaking at the first UX Summit held at GDC in San Francisco and also served as a Juror for the BAFTA Games Awards for multiple years. Anisa is an advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the industry, and this year she was listed as one of GamesIndustry.Biz Top 100 Influential Women in the UK Games Industry.

caroline miller

Caroline is the founder and MD of Indigo Pearl, a PR and digital services agency in the Gaming and Entertainment technology sector. Indigo Pearl has been the leader in the field for 19 years and can boast clients from every area of gaming, from established publishers such as Sony, Activision, Ubisoft and Bethesda, through to cutting edge Indies like Devolver and The Imaginarium and mobile giants Zynga.

Caroline has served as a Vice Chair at GamesAid, and was mentioned in the Games Industry Top 100 Women. Indigo Pearl were the proud recipient of the MCV Agency of the year award at this year’s MCV Awards.

gemma johnson-Brown

Gemma is Ambassador Director for Women in Games, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2009 that provides encouragement, support and advocacy for women and girls throughout the game industries and educational pipeline, both nationally and internationally.

For her day job Gemma is Chief People & Business Development Officer for Dovetail Games, a developer of Trains and Fishing simulators based in Medway, Kent. With 15+ years in the HR profession and experience from a variety of different industries, Gemma feels she has found her home in the Games industry.

 

dr jo twist obe

Jo is CEO of Ukie, the trade body for UK games and interactive entertainment, making the UK the best place in the world to make, sell and play games. She is also Deputy Chair of the British Screen Advisory Council, London Tech Ambassador, Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee and BAFTA Trustee, an Ambassador on the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board, and Creative Industries Council member.

In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries and won the MCV 30 Women in Games award for Outstanding Contribution. She also won Industry Hero in 2019. She is a VP for games and accessibility charity, SpecialEffect and the government’s Sector Champion for Disabilities.

jodie azhar

Jodie is CEO | Game Director at Teazelcat Games. Having spent a decade in the games industry as a Technical Artost, Jodie is now directing the unannounced debut title of Teazelcat Games.

She is also a founding member of POC in Play: 
an independent organisation creating a range of initiatives and programme of events designed to increase the visibility and representation of People of Colour in the video games industry. The organisation aims to to work with industry, educators and other diversity organisations to create more opportunities, while focusing on recruitment, retention and career development within games.

 

kim parker-adcock

Kim is the founder and managing director of OPM Response.

Kim revealed OPM to the games industry in 1998; having worked in the industry since 1992 in distribution and recruitment. Since then Kim has grown OPM from a one-woman-band in a loft conversion office on a borrowed chair, to the successful internationally acclaimed company that it is today.

 

louise o’connor

As Executive Producer at Rare, Louise leads a diverse, multi-discipline team pioneering new ideas. She began her career 20 years ago as an animator and has had the pleasure of working on many Rare projects in that time and the opportunity to grow and learn as she has worked towards her current position.

As a studio, Rare create the kind of games the world doesn’t have, games that bring players together in new ways in evolving experiences that create lasting gaming memories. We do this by betting on our team, by building a diverse studio, by helping them grow, by providing them with an inclusive and rewarding environment to work in and above all, by having fun as we do it.

rebecca sampson

Rebecca is Studio Operations Manager at Hangar 13 UK.

I have been working in the games industry for almost 12 years now, always having a love of games. Working at places such as Disney, Sega and now 2K has been incredible and has allowed me (and still does) to work with highly talented and creative individuals every day.

Seeing them put all their passion into producing something truly unique is very special and working in Operations gives me the opportunity to oversee and support them with what they do best.

rose buahin

Rose is a popular industry senior marketing veteran with 18+ years experience holding key positions in Eidos, Novalogic, Warner Brothers, Sony PlayStation and Curve Digital.

She has worked on a number of ground-breaking software and hardware campaigns including Batman Arkham City, PlayStation 4, The Last Of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Human: Fall Flat