Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen has announced a new organizational model aimed at tightening alignment as the company scales, with several central functions moving under an expanded Live Games unit.
In his latest LinkedIn post, Paananen said Supercell’s long-standing goal remains “to build great games that as many people as possible play for years and that are remembered forever,” and said the company’s growth has made operations “bigger and more complex,” creating a need for clearer focus on “the best possible player experience.”
Sara Bach’s new role
Under the new model, Business Operations, Marketing & Community, People, and Game Tech will come together under the Live Games unit, Paananen said. He added that the unit will be led by Sara Bach.
Paananen said:
“This is a big responsibility and an incredibly important role for Supercell. Sara has already shown exceptional leadership in how she runs our live games and how she thinks about our players. She combines deep experience from scaled organizations with being 100% true to Supercell’s culture — a rare and powerful mix.”
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen
Bach joined Supercell in 2023 as Head of Live Games, following leadership roles across major studios and franchises, including Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront, plus leadership experience at Mojang Studios and King.
Ilkka Paananen’s new focus
Paananen said Bach taking day-to-day responsibility will allow him to focus on where he believes he can have the biggest impact, including vision and culture. He also said he will work closely with Drussila Hollanda, Supercell’s Head of New Games, to push a more entrepreneurial mindset on the company’s new games efforts.
Supercell previously announced Hollanda’s appointment in 2025, describing the role as focused on making Supercell “the best place for new game teams to build the best games,” reporting directly to Paananen.
Paananen framed the company’s broader ambition as becoming “the best place for ambitious product founders to build the next hit games,” and summed up the pitch to builders as: “you build the rocket, and Supercell will be your launchpad.”
