Company Announcements

18 January 2021

Keywords Studios plc ("Keywords Studios", the "Group")

Chief Operating Officer Appointment to the Board

Keywords Studios, the international technical and creative services provider to the global video games industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sonia Lashand Sedler to the Board of Keywords Studios as the Group's Chief Operating Officer ("COO"), with effect from today, 18 January 2021.

In this new Board position which reports to Andrew Day, CEO, Sonia will be working closely with Andrew and Jon Hauck, CFO, and will take responsibility for the day to day operational running of the business.  With Keywords Studios growing strongly both organically and through acquisitions, Sonia and her team will help to ensure that we continue to apply best operational practices and constantly evolve our customer propositions, as we broaden our services and seek operational synergies through the integration of acquisitions and innovation in our technologies and services. The addition of this role will enable Andrew Day to focus more fully on the continued strategic development of the Group.

Sonia, 52, has 20 years of experience in scaling up businesses internationally through senior roles, most recently as Global Head of Managed Services and Banking Strategy at Diebold Nixdorf, a global retail and banking technology and services organisation, where she was responsible for its managed services business. She joined Diebold Nixdorf from Sutherland Global Services, a digital transformation company, where she acted as Managing Director for the EMEA region and led the transformation of customer journeys for a number of blue chip businesses, including for a Fortune 500 entertainment company.  Her previous leadership roles with digital transformation organisations also include HCL, where she acted as VP European Banking, and Accenture, where she acted as a Managing Director.

Andrew Day, Chief Executive of Keywords, commented:

"Following an extensive global search, I am delighted that Sonia has chosen to join Keywords Studios and, on behalf the Board, I would like to welcome her to the business. Sonia's experience in driving operational excellence across an international footprint and in delivering best in class business critical services to global clients gained from within world class organisations made her the outstanding candidate for this new Board position as COO. I look forward to working closely with her as we continue develop our global platform of technical and creative services to the video games market and beyond."

Other than the directorships and previous names listed below, there is no further information required to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies, in relation to Sonia Lashand Sedler's appointment to the Board of Keywords Studios.

Sonia holds or has held directorships in the five years preceding her appointment at Keywords Studios as follows:

Intelisov Global Ltd

Sutherland Global Services Saudi Arabia

Terra2cloud Ltd

Previous names: Sonia Lashand, Sonia Sharma.

For further information, please contact:

About Keywords Studios (www.keywordsstudios.com)

Keywords Studios is an international technical services provider to the global video games industry. Established in 1998, and now with 65 facilities in 21 countries strategically located in Asia, the Americas and Europe, it provides integrated art creation, marketing services, software engineering, testing, localization, audio and customer care services across more than 50 languages and 16 games platforms to a blue-chip client base of over 950 clients across the globe. 

Keywords Studios has a strong market position, providing services to 23 of the top 25 most prominent games companies, including Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Konami, Microsoft, Riot Games, Square Enix, Supercell, TakeTwo, Epic Games and Ubisoft. Recent titles worked on include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Anthem, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, Clash Royale and Doom Eternal. Keywords Studios is listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (KWS.L).