Leadership rejigs at Thunderful Group; Sue Smith appointed as Group VP of People & Culture

Thunderful Group, a Sweden-based creative entertainment company, has announced the appointment of Sue Smith as the Group Vice President of People and Culture, with immediate effect.

In her new role, Sue will work under the direction of the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, Martin Walfisz. Her primary responsibilities will include ensuring the highest standards in attracting, retaining, nurturing, and training talent within the company.

Notably, Sue's promotion to Group Vice President follows her tenure as the Vice President of People and Culture since June 2023, having initially joined as People Director in June 2022. With over 30 years of HR expertise, Sue brings a wealth of experience in strategic HR development, policy design, people development, work culture, talent management, and change management.

Before joining Thunderful Group, Sue held various roles with global and regional organizations, including HR Business Partner at Coatsink, Interim HR Controller at Vantec Europe, HR Manager at Aviva Group, and HR Consultant at Rentokil Initial. She also worked with the Church of England, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, North Tyneside Council, Age UK North Tyneside, TRW Family of Companies, and Abertay University at the beginning of her career. 

On the academic front, Sue holds a CIPD PG Diploma in Personnel and Development, Personnel Management, and People Development from Dundee and Angus College, along with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History and Sociology from the University of Sunderland.

In addition to Sue's promotion, the group has also named Claire E A B as the Executive Vice President of Studios and Development, Harriet Hughes as the Executive Vice President of Publishing, and Kathrin Strangfeld as the Executive Vice President of Operations. Furthermore, the group informed that Agostino Simonetta has stepped down as the Chief Games Officer, opting to continue serving as an Advisor during the transition period.