Hestia Talent Partners

?? ?? Introducing Athena Connects ?? ?? After many conversations with women and other organisations in the games industry, it’s clear there’s a powerful need for women in leadership in our industry to come together on a deeper level. Frankly, there aren't enough of us and I often feel there is more to be gained from coming together beyond the fleeting conversations at events. I wanted to help facilitate that change and create space for us to thrive and be inspired. From this Athena Connects was born. ?? The vision is for Athena Connects to be a collective of women who embody the goddess Athena, renowned for her wisdom, strategy, and creativity. Her guiding principle—“when the obstacle becomes the way”—serves as a reminder that together, we can turn challenges into opportunities. ?? The aim is to create spaces where women leaders in games can strengthen their self-belief, validate shared experiences, and expand their networks with women in leadership in an environment built on trust and support. ? What makes Athena Connects unique? The offering is free, facilitated women’s circles, designed to empower and uplift women in leadership roles within the games industry. These circles, will be led by myself, using all my expertise as a facilitator in running women’s circles. They will be safe spaces, carefully curated, and balanced to ensure every voice is heard and respected. ?? If you or someone you know is a woman in leadership within the games industry, and would like to be a part of this empowering community, we’d love to hear from you! ?? Sign up your interest by completing this expression of interest or by dropping me a message here. https://lnkd.in/eZc8PuKV Big props to Rebecca Sampson (BA (Hons), CMgr) for the logo and sharing the passion for wanting to see real change!

Looking back over the last 4 weeks and the main theme has been 'support' and 'recognition'. So getting this post out here to keep that moving forward... ?? Future Dreams House Event - Vanessa Joyce and Eleanor Porter brought members of the industry together at Future Dreams Breast Cancer Charity to show the incredible work they do in supporting people. Seeing the services they offer made me realise that they need to more exposure and funding to keep this vital service going. So more will come from me on that, but please do check them (and your boobs!) out, especially now during Breast Cancer Awareness Month! ???? Games HR Summit - Christopher Dring gave me a platform to speak about maintaining boundaries and wellbeing as an HR leader. I feel incredibly passionate about this and to have the space to shout about it was much needed. I know there were a few people that found the talk resonated with them. If you are an HR leader who would like to mentorship or coaching, please get in touch so I can signpost to many of the wonderful people who are in that space. Big thanks to Gina Jackson OBE as always for the boosts you give to my voice and for the work you do on driving skills forward. ?? I also shared the floor with Sarah Sorrell from the incredible Safe In Our World to discuss the barriers to improving wellbeing in the workplace. Sarah and the team do incredible work, please do give them a boost and check their resources. ?? MCV/DEVELOP Women in Games awards - Supporting Rebecca Sampson (BA (Hons), CMgr) who was shortlisted for her work in campaigning for a better games industry and to accept an award on Marcia Deakin's behalf for all the important work she has done and the huge impact she has in games education; this was another moment to see women get their moment in the sunshine and be truly seen for their contributions. ?? Pretty big milestone coming up for Hestia Talent Partners with it being 1 year of business later this month. Being able to work with some truly incredible people in games has made it a stand out moment in my career. There is something new and exciting coming up, so watch this space.

Incredible honour to represent the games industry on behalf of Ukie and Department for Culture, Media and Sport yesterday at Buckingham Palace. Being amongst so many talented people and seeing so many women in leadership from games was just brilliant. 10/10 ????????????