top of page

Trusted 
Credible
HR Consultant

Strategic HR and Talent Acquisition direction, support and consultancy for the games industry 

Hestia logo.avif

APPROACH

Working together to solve your problems

Your studio’s culture is as unique as the talent that creates your games. My deep understanding of how studios work means I can go beyond generic HR advice that misses what makes you great.  

 

I’ll help you solve the people issues that get in the way of your studio’s culture and values, making sure that all your big thinkers, quiet achievers (and everyone in between) can come together as a team and make a great game.  

 

Even the best solutions can seem out of reach unless your teams buy-in. I know how different teams need different approaches – some may need to understand returns on investments for key projects - others just need to know how it can make for a better game. Because I know what will resonate with your people, I can identify obstacles and take away the pressure, making sure that my practical recommendations translate into meaningful action that works for you. 

ABOUT

Meet Emma

I’m a trusted and experienced HR consultant with over 20 years of experience in HR - 15 of those within the games industry. My work has helped studios achieve exceptional workplace culture and standards, even through periods of intense change. 

 

My achievements include founding Creative Assembly's Legacy Project, earning recognition as one of GI.biz's Top 100 Most Influential Women. I’ve received multiple awards, including GI.Biz G into Gaming 2021, TIGA Games Education Award 2021 and MCV Develop Women in Games Award 2022. I currently chair UKIE's Education Steering Group and serve on Next Gen Skills' ESG board so I remain actively engaged in shaping the industry's future through hands-on experience and award-winning workplace culture development. 

To get you where you need to be, I offer genuine partnership, not just consultancy. Together, we can empower your teams with solutions that deliver impactful, sustainable and positive change. At any point in your studio’s story, I can help you through the HR challenges you’re facing, whether that’s creative talent retention in small studios or preserving company culture during rapid scaling.  

 

Take a look below or get in touch to see how a trusted advisor who genuinely understands your world can help. 

Emma.avif

SERVICES

Committed to excellence

Advisory

icon_flame_01_256_purple.png

As an experienced HR professional, I bring a wealth of knowledge and a fresh perspective to every project. Whether you need help setting up your HR systems, require ongoing HR support, or need practical diversity and inclusion strategies that work for your business, I'm here to help. 

 

I am a CIPD-qualified professional with extensive experience in the games industry, helping you through fundamental change with practical and meaningful approaches. My time working in-house means I can work around the deadlines that kill morale and halt even well-intentioned projects. Much of my early career was spent in close contact with development teams, giving me first-hand insight for the highs and the lows that come with making games. This close understanding means I know what’s possible, what’s easy and what good looks like.  

Talent

icon_flame_02_256_purple.png

I make sure your talent acquisition plans support and align with your studio’s strategic plans. I specialise in developing talent management strategies and recruitment processes that help you stay ahead of the competition while building sustainable success. 

 

I will help you identify the skills, values, and character traits that make a great fit for your team. We’ll work in partnership to develop talent outreach programmes and critical future skills planning that fit your unique needs. Whether it's job descriptions and ATS implementation with hands on support, training for hiring managers, or developing your current team, I help you find and grow the right people for your business. 

Engagement

icon_flame_03_256_purple.png

Building and maintaining engaged teams requires knowing what truly motivates your people and creating environments where they can thrive. Because I know what works in our industry (and what doesn’t!) I can develop strategies that foster genuine connection and purpose with your team members. 

 

From conducting engagement surveys and pulse checks to designing recognition programmes and career development pathways, I work with you to create sustainable approaches that keep your talent energised and committed to your studio's success. 

Change

icon_flame_04_256_purple.png

Complex people issues can become strong foundations when handled with care and expertise. I specialise in guiding studios through periods of transformation, whether you're scaling up, restructuring, or implementing new ways of working. 

 

My approach focuses on transparency, clear communication, and understanding team needs throughout the change process. Having seen how releases affect people and how deadlines impact culture, I help studios navigate these challenges whilst maintaining team cohesion and morale. 

Growth

icon_flame_05_256_purple.png

Company growth is more than increasing headcount. I build solid people strategies, frameworks, and processes that support sustainable success. I work with studio leads to deliver what good looks like, drawing on my extensive in-house experience to provide solutions that show immediate results. 

 

I can help establish excellent best practices in smaller studios and fix persistent people problems in larger organisations. No matter the size of your studio, I help you develop robust people strategies that support your business objectives and create environments where both your games and your people can flourish. 

Implementation

icon_flame_06_256_purple.png

Sustainable change requires that your team understands and can confidently run with new approaches. I provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to ensure that any systems, processes, or strategies we put in place become embedded in your teams. 

 

Whether it's up-skilling hiring managers, training team leads in people management, or ensuring your HR processes are understood across the organisation, I make sure you have the knowledge and confidence to maintain excellence long after our initial engagement. 

TESTIMONIALS

What people are saying

I cannot overstate what an impact Emma’s presence is making for us each and every week. Thanks to Emma now we are not only set up with a straightforward process of employing people from all over the world and are enjoying the benefits of a modern HR platform, but even more importantly we have consistent access to her years of experience in the games industry and beyond.   

 

Emma gives us vital insights from an HR perspective on a wide range of topics, but critically tackles many of them directly and is very much part of the team. Her input ranges from high level issues - such as company structure, employment law, salary benchmarking, employee benefits and team culture - to individual focussed considerations - such as career management, mental health care, grievance resolution and personal development.   

 

We speak every week, often more than once, and I always look forward to our chats as she’s a great colleague in every way, but also because I know that we’ll get something done that day. I can’t recommend Emma highly enough! 

Max Brode, Senior Producer at The Indie Stone

I have had the pleasure of working with Emma over the past year on possibly the charity's biggest project to date. At the beginning of the process we were really looking for someone who could take all of our abstract thoughts and formulate a plan to bring the project to life. Emma did so expertly, chairing working group meetings with a variety of stakeholders, wrangling ideas and input into a solid plan to move forward, as well as creating relevant documentation and anticipating other needs.

Sky Tunley-Stainton, Partnerships Manager at Safe In Our World 

Emma has been an absolute joy and inspiration to work with. She was very supportive in those days, and then when I started my own studio back in 2015, Emma was a regular advisor whenever I hit things I wasn't sure about.  

 

Fast forward to 2023, my team has grown, and I couldn't have got a better person on the planet to look after my team and also make sure I was doing things right by them. We've had Emma work with No Code ever since, and she's not only made my life easier as Director, but also given our team members someone to talk to, get advice from, and help steer and coordinate their personal development. Everything good I do at No Code for the team, is in some way inspired by Emma, and we've won Best Places to Work several times now, so I'd say that's a good thing!!

Jon McKellan, Founder of No Code 

Emma is incredibly well respected within the games industry, not only for the standard of work she delivers but her professional and personal integrity. She has made it her life work to improve standards in HR, talent development and building teams. An absolute asset to any company, she has been integral to the success at NextGen in delivering meaningful employer engagement across Further Education and the Skills Bootcamps we run. Emma is first class at understanding the challenges of talent development and the commercial realities of the games industry. She can be relied on to deliver people first solutions. 100% recommend.

 

Marcia Deakin, Co-founder NextGen Skills Academy 

Emma is one of those people that you REALLY want in your circle. She's experienced, smart, positive and has a well thought out holistic and supportive approach to work and life. Her long experience in HR at Creative Assembly has given her a valuable perspective and a deep knowledge of the industry. Whether you are hiring or looking to be hired, I couldn’t recommend her enough!

Jim Russell, MS Concept Art Tutor 

I can't thank Emma enough for her professionalism and quick response to a legal situation I had recently. Not only was she very supportive and re-assuring with the situation, but also managed to resolve the situation in a positive and professional manor. Would definitely recommend her to anyone that needed legal assistance in the video games industry!

Jason Uncles, Founder & CEO Emerge QA Ltd 

Emma is truly remarkable, her understanding of the workforce in the games industry is uniquely detailed, from understand the needs of each role, what skills will be required, how to train the workforce to get there and how to make teams work together. She, more than anyone, is working with the education community to create long term pipelines of talent into games companies and changing the perception of games as a valid career choice for so many. Truly inspiration to work with and she deserves all the awards she wins.

Gina Jackson, OBE

Get
in Touch

bottom of page