Leadership Day by IGDA Finland

There were no dedicated games leadership conferences in Europe... so we decided to make one! Leadership Day by IGDA Finland is an international event about how we build companies, teams and working cultures to build better games. We held the inaugural conference in 2019 and with the support of the community, it has evolved into an annual forum for leadership in games.

#cultureofsharing

Games companies, their inner workings and cultures are some of the least documented aspects of game development. Yet we and our work are all defined by these choices every single day. Join us in learning and challenging the cutting edge of leadership in games from some of the brightest minds in the industry!

Less, but better

This one day event is designed around a thought provoking speaker track and ample room for networking with industry peers. We will of course organize an IGDA Mentorship Cafe to help you grow your professional network.

Like all things IGDA Finland, the conference is non-profit and made possible by our volunteers and partners.

Leadership Day 2024

Leadership Day took place at Helsinki City Hall on September 30, 2024.

We’re kicked off Finnish Games Week with a day of inspiring talks and networking. As a 100% volunteer organization, IGDA Finland, is grateful to our sponsors, speakers and volunteers who made this event possible. It is always amazing to see the game community come together and share their experience, knowledge, excitement, passion, for games. Thank you!

We’re still getting this year’s videos up, but scroll down to watch the presentations and panel discussions from past years.

We’re already working on next year’s event. Sign up to get announcements for save the date, call for speakers, and ticket sign ups.

IGDA Finland
Mentor Cafe

Sign up as a mentor or a mentee

Schedule

Helsinki Time (EEST/UTC +03:00)

Time	Stage	Presentation
09:00 - 09:45	Registration / Coffee & Networking
09:45 - 10:00	Teemu Haila	Opening Words
10:00 - 11:00	Opening Keynote - Celine Pasula	Building Resilience Amidst Constant Change
In her talk, Celine explores the importance of resilience in our fast-evolving industry, delving into how leaders can empower their teams to thrive amidst constant disruption and change.
11:00 - 12:00	Yumi Oishi & Ivan Lugovoy	From Awareness to Action: Taking Steps Towards Neuroinclusion
The games industry has a high prevalence of neurodivergent individuals, making neuroinclusion essential. This presentation explores neurodiversity fundamentals and shares practical insights from our year-long journey toward a neuroinclusive workplace. They will provide actionable steps for leaders, HR, and employees to get started.
12:00 - 13:30	Lunch / Mentor Cafe
13:30 - 14:30	Katharina Schmidt, Sonja Ängeslevä, and Joni Lappalainen	Panel Discussion: Fostering the Creative Vision in the Turbulent Market
This panel discussion will feature our panelists sharing their insights and expertise on staying creative and innovative while navigating today’s challenging market.
14:30 - 15:30	Sergio Laranjeira	Building Better Tech: Embedding DEI into Strategy and Culture
Fostering inclusion should be a moral imperative, a strategic advantage, and part of company culture, yet gaming remains male-dominated. Sérgio offers actionable insights for developers, managers, and CTOs on attracting and leading diverse talent, integrating DEI goals, and engaging in allyship programs, sharing his experience driving change and winning Xena’s Allyship Award.
15:30 - 15:45	Coffee Break
15:45 - 16:45	Reko Ukko, Kaisa Knaappila, Ivan Lugovoy, and Charlotta Tiuri	Panel Discussion: Leadership Styles for Managing Creative Teams and Processes.
Leading creativity is about people, but people are complicated. This panel explores leadership styles and strategies for fostering creativity. What works? What doesn't? Learn how to motivate individuals and teams, and create a safe space for innovation, where people flourish.
16:45 - 17:45	Jaakko Sarno	Building Games Teams of Perseverance
This speech underscores the critical role of perseverance in constructing high-performing game teams. By comprehending and fostering perseverance, in conjunction with vision, teamwork, the right roles, and character strengths, teams can surmount challenges and attain their objectives effectively.
17:45 - 18:00	Teemu Haila, Christopher Hamilton, and Natasha Skult	Closing Words
18:00 - 21:00	Leadership Day Mixer at Sofia (drink tickets sponsored by Helsinki Partners)

Speakers

Celine Pasula

Managing Director / Ubisoft RedLynx

Yumi Oishi

Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Rovio Entertainment Corporation

Ivan Lugovoy

Senior Game Artist / Rovio Entertainment Corporation

Sergio Laranjeira

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / Metacore

Jaakko Sarno

Chief Creative Officer (CCO) / Kokoon Games

Panel Speakers

Joni Lappalainen

CEO / Dreamloop Games Oy

Katharina Schmidt

Senior Business Development Manager / Rovio Entertainment Corporation

Reko Ukko

Studio Creative Director /
Next Games, a Netflix Game Studio

Kaisa Knaappila

Art Director / Next Games, a Netflix Game Studio

Charlotta Tiuri

Art Director / Neon Koi, Playstation

Conference Venue

City Hall / Helsingin Kaupungintalo

Pohjoisesplanadi 11-13, 00170 Helsinki

Note: you can reach the venue very easily with public transport. No special arrangements or taxis needed!

Networking Mixer

At 18:00 the event will move just around the corner from City Hall for
a mixer with drink tickets sponsored by Helsinki Partners.

Sofia Helsinki

Sofiankatu 4 C, 00170 Helsinki

If you already have a Leadership Day 2024 General Admission ticket,
you do not need to obtain this ticket.

During the lunch break we’ll be hosting a Mentor Cafe on the first floor of City Hall. Here games industry leaders will share their knowledge and expertise in short, 15 minute mentoring sessions This is a great opportunity to either be a mentor or a mentee or both! We can’t promise that everyone will be matched as it depends on the pool of mentors, but we do our best. The deadline to sign up for the Mentor Cafe is Sunday, September 22nd.

Can’t make it to Helsinki? Host a Watch Party!

Leadership Day is best experienced live, so we invite game developer communities to host an event to watch our live stream. Our Q&A system allows remote viewers to post and vote on questions in real-time. Sign up to hose a Watch Party and we’ll send you additional information.

We’re thrilled to announce the following Watch Parties:
Baku, Azerbaijan hosted by Gamepons & IGDA Azerbaijan [Sign up here]
Lagos, Nigeria hosted by Maliyo Games

Host a watch party

Code of Conduct

IGDA Finland is committed to keeping our community safe for everyone and has
a zero-tolerance policy on harassment in any and all of its forms - please read our Code of Conduct.

Previous Events

2023

We moved to BioRex and held a hybrid event, taking the event to new heights.

2022

We returned to having a hybrid event, hosting a full house in Helsinki City Hall and our online audience!

2021

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, we organized some great online content.

2020

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, we organized some great online content.

2019

It started with our inaugural event at Helsinki City Hall that concluded with a networking party at Vanha Ylioppilastalo (The Old Student House).

Partners

This event wouldn’t be possible without help from our partners and sponsors.

Organizing Committee

We’ve been making this event happen since 2019. We aim to make it better each year and there is more that needs doing. Drop us a line via firstname.lastname@igda.fi to join the fun!