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EA Shuffles Executive Team

The higher ups at Electronic Arts are playing musical chairs.

Chris Jarrard

April 12, 2018 2:30 PM

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EA CEO Andrew Wilson announced changes to the executive team at the video game publishing juggernaut in a memo sent out to employees today. Wilson stated that the moves were made in an effort to “sharpen focus on the creative core of EA, drive precision in our operations, and define clear leadership for our growth initiatives.” Some of the moves appear to be shifts in position among the executive core, with new addition Matt Bilbey joining the group as EVP of Strategic Growth.

Four executives will remain in their current roles at the company, including Ken Moss as Chief Technology Officer, Mala Singh as the Chief People Officer, Jake Schatz as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and Joel Linzner as EVP of Business Affairs.

New EA Chief Design Officer Patrick Söderlund

The big adjustments to the executive core are as listed in the memo:

• Patrick Söderlund will step up into the role of Chief Design Officer, where he will expand his reach and drive greater impact in a new executive leadership position. Elevating Patrick into a company-wide role will help us capture the imagination of players around the world by bringing an increased focus not just to the design of our games, but also the overarching creative energy we bring to every EA experience. In our networked future, creativity must be the central strand of everything we do, and he will lead a team that pushes the boundaries of entertainment. He will be responsible for delivering next-generation game designs, driving our marketing teams on creative content and meta-game experiences, and approving innovations with our central technology teams that will transform gaming. Patrick will bring his unique design expertise to push us, to make us better and to architect the future of play.
• Laura Miele will become our Chief Studios Officer, where she is responsible for leading EA Worldwide Studios. Over the past two decades, Laura has been a leader in nearly every facet of our company — from studios to marketing to publishing. Laura has deep management expertise, executional acumen, industry thought leadership, and personal passion for our games and services, and she will help drive our global studio collective to accelerate our transformation. The combination of Laura and Patrick in these new leadership roles will elevate the creative process, the experiences we design for players, and drive new innovation.
• Blake Jorgensen will be our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Blake's strong leadership and focus on integrating efforts across the company will ensure we are best positioned to drive our strategy and facilitate growth. Our Business Development and Corporate Development teams join Blake's group, enabling us to align the management of our partnerships, development opportunities and corporate strategy. The Worldwide Customer Experience team will also join this group to ensure we are integrating best-in-class customer service into everything we do.
• Chris Bruzzo will lead a new Marketing, Publishing and Analytics organization as CMO. Today, players have more choices than ever, and they have high expectations for brands to meet them where they are with personalized and curated experiences. Delivering on this requires deep insights into player needs, extensive long-range strategic planning and partnerships with our studio teams, creative storytelling at scale, innovative new commercial approaches, and incredible coordination across business units. Under Chris' leadership, this new integrated group will ensure we have the necessary agility to spark the community with unique player journeys in a networked world.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.