1 September 2017

 

 

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

Appointment of Georges Fornay and Charlotta Ginman as Non-Executive Directors

 

Keywords Studios plc, the international technical services provider to the global video games industry, is pleased to announce the appointments of Georges Fornay and Charlotta Ginman as Non-Executive Directors with effect from 1 September 2017.

 

A French national, Georges (aged 60) has over 30 years' experience in the technology and video games sectors and currently sits on the board of France's second largest Independent games publisher, Focus Home Interactive, which is listed on the Alternext. He is also Associate Director and Co-Owner of Glory4Gamers, one of Europe's leading online eSport companies, which organises multi-player video game competitions for some of the most famous games around the world.

 

Georges was with Sony Computer Entertainment in a number of senior management roles from 1995 to 2011, including as CEO of the French and Swiss divisions and culminating in the role of European Senior Vice President from 2004-2011 where he oversaw the launch of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2005 and PlayStation 3 in 2007.  Prior to this, Georges spent nine years at Commodore, the last five years of which were as CEO of Commodore France PC Manufacturing and Distribution.

 

He has also held significant industry-wide roles including four years as President of SELL, France's Union of Entertainment Software Publishers, where he was responsible for representing and advocating the industry's and its 31 members' interests to the government.

 

Charlotta (aged 52) qualified as a Chartered Accountant before spending a career in investment banking and commercial organisations, principally in technology-related businesses.  She began her career at Ernst & Young in 1989, and was then appointed to a series of senior roles in investment banking with UBS, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan both in London and Singapore, where she gained considerable M&A transactional experience.

 

Charlotta has also held senior roles within Nokia Corporation, including acting as Chief Financial Officer of its luxury mobile phone division Vertu Corporation Limited. Charlotta is an experienced NED, currently sitting on the Boards of Pacific Assets Trust plc, Polar Capital Technology Trust plc, Unicorn AIM VCT plc, Motif Bio plc and Consort Medical plc.

 

Ross Graham, Chairman of Keywords, commented:

"We are delighted to welcome Georges and Charlotta to the Group and we look forward to working with them both.  Georges' strong industry and commercial expertise along with Charlotta's expert plc and Audit committee knowledge, will further strengthen the Board's existing capabilities as we continue to grow Keywords Studios both organically and by acquisition."

 

 

Georges Fornay holds or has held the following directorships in the five years preceding his appointment to the Board:

Current

Activitick SA

Focus Home Interactive SAS

Fornay Invest SARL

Fornay Enterprise Individuelle (EI)

GLHF SAS

 

Previous five years

Synidicat des Editeurs de Logiceiels de Loisirs

 

Charlotta Ginman holds or has held the following directorships in the five years preceding her appointment to the Board:

Current

Consort Medical plc

Motif Bio plc

Pacific Assets Trust Public Limited

Polar Capital Technology Trust plc

Unicorn AIM VCT plc

 

Previous five years

Cirrus Logic International (UK) Ltd

Kromek Group plc

 

In relation to both Georges Fornay's and Charlotta Ginman's appointments to the Board, there is no further information required to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies.

 

 

For further information, please contact:

Keywords Studios (www.keywordsstudios.com) Andrew Day, Chief Executive Officer David Broderick, Chief Financial Officer	+353 190 22 730
Numis (Financial Adviser) Stuart Skinner / Kevin Cruickshank (Nominated Adviser) James Black / Tom Ballard (Corporate Broker)	020 7260 1000
MHP Communications (Financial PR) Katie Hunt / Ollie Hoare / Nessyah Hart	020 3128 8100

 

 

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 facilities in Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, Montreal, Quebec City, Portland, Orlando, Raleigh, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo, Singapore, New Delhi, Pune, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Manila, Yogyakarta, Hamburg, Paris and London, it provides integrated art creation, software engineering, testing, localisation, audio and customer care services across 50 languages and 14 games platforms to a blue-chip client base in more than 15 countries.  It 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, Riot Games, Sony, Square Enix, Supercell, TakeTwo, and Ubisoft. Recent titles worked on include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Mortal Combat X, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Battlefield 1, Overwatch, World of Warcraft: Legion, Hearthstone, Clash Royale, and Mobile Strike. Keywords Studios is listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (KWS.L).