The promotion of Laura Miele, chief studios officer at Electronic Arts, to chief operating officer was announced by the company on Thursday. Miele was already a strong leader at the company, having overseen 25 studios. This promotion is huge for her. Miele will have greater control over the company, which makes her the most powerful female executive in gaming. In an industry with few female executives and fewer C-suite execs, the new role will allow her to be more involved in finance and HR, rather than overseeing the products.
Virginie Hass was appointed chief studios operating officer at Ubisoft last August after scandals over toxic culture, including sexual harassment and misconduct, that reached as high as the C suite ranks.
Miele joined EA 1996 and has been the chief studios officer of EA since April 2018. In July, The Verge interviewed Miele about how the pandemic affected EA's development. According to an SEC filing (PDF), Miele will assume the role in the coming months.
EA also announced the departure of Blake Jorgensen, chief financial officer. He is expected to leave the company in 2022. A search for a replacement will start immediately. Chris Bruzzo was previously the company's executive vice president for marketing, commercial and positive play.
