Kira Gluschkoff Co-founder of the mobile games developer behind Clash of Clans, will speak on Monday 5 September
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced today that Ilkka Paananen, CEO and co-founder of Supercell, creator of popular mobile games including Clash of Clans and Hay Day, will deliver this year’s prestigious BAFTA Games Lecture. The event will take place at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly on Monday 5 September.
The BAFTA Games Lecture aims to deliver valuable insights into the creative minds of some of the world’s most compelling and esteemed games professionals, providing a platform for speakers to share their experiences, as well as their personal vision for the future of the industry. Previous speakers include Jade Raymond, Will Wright, Peter Molyneux, Hideo Kojima, Drs Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk and David Cage.
Ilkka Paananen co-founded the Helsinki-based Supercell in 2010. Since then its four games – Clash of Clans, Hay Day, Boom Beach and Clash Royale – have amassed 100m daily players and remain in the global top 10 years after launch. In June 2016 it was announced that Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited will acquire a majority stake in the Supercell, making it the first European technology start-up to reach a valuation of $10 billion.
During the lecture, Paananen will use case studies to demonstrate how Supercell works to achieve excellence through its company culture and how, through nurturing an environment of small, independent teams, organisations of all sizes can enhance their creativity and business success.
Harvey Elliott, former Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee said: “Ilkka Paananen has been instrumental in establishing the ever-more important role of mobile within the games landscape as a whole. His belief in the importance of company culture in nurturing creative excellence, and his passion for creating simple, fun, memorable games are central to his work; and we look forward to him sharing these insights at the BAFTA Games Lecture which has over the years hosted creative leaders from all over the world, making it a truly global platform for the games sector and the wider creative industry.”
In addition to his role at Supercell, Ilkka Paananen helps other entrepreneurs as both an investor and as an active member of the Helsinki-based startup community where he mentors and coaches other founders. Alongside his co-founder Mikko Kodisoja, he has established the We Foundation to fight social inequality and help disadvantaged children in Finland.
Prior to founding Supercell, Paananen was the CEO and co-founder of Finnish games developer Sumea, which was later acquired by Digital Chocolate, where he worked as President until 2010.
‘BAFTA Games Lecture: Ilkka Paananen’ event details:
Monday 5 September at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly in London
19:30 Lecture followed by Q&A
20:45 Champagne Reception
Public tickets for the BAFTA Games Lecture will go on sale at 13:00 on Friday 22 July 2016. To book tickets, please visit www.bafta.org/whats-on.
Video highlights, a podcast and a transcript from the event will be available in BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning channel www.bafta.org/guru. Recordings of previous Games Lectures are available now.
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Toms at Stature PR
T +44 (0) 20 7100 0856
E [email protected]
Eleanor Pickering at BAFTA
T +44 (0) 20 7734 0022
E [email protected]
About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – featuring workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes – in the UK, USA and Asia; it offers unique access to the world’s most inspiring talent and connects with a global audience of all ages and backgrounds. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, television and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.
