Blog post

Why Scopely? Hear from our Chief People Officer

Our Chief People Officer Roxane Lukas joined us earlier this year to further evolve and grow our global team. Today she gives us an exclusive look into why she chose to take on this adventure...

Q: What attracted you to Scopely?

A: I joined because of the scale, stage, space and "Scoplean" style I saw.

Scopely has demonstrated the ability to build great games, great teams and a strong business. Scaling from where we are today to where we want to go, requires the right foundation for how we operate, communicate, attract talent and unlock the potential of our people. I felt excited by the concept of driving this foundation forward while still staying nimble and sustaining what’s core to us as a business.

Regarding the stage, I love that getting from one stage of a business to the next is really in our hands. It comes down to strategy, leadership, execution and teamwork. As I explored the opportunity it was clear to me that I wanted to dig in with this group of people to continue to “make it happen” and I saw all the right ingredients that could successfully get from where we were when I joined to where we are trying to go.

Regarding the gaming space, I didn’t fully realize how much I would enjoy being back in mobile gaming until I started (I was previously at EA for 8+ years). The industry is truly inspiring. It's a rare combination of a right and left brain--it requires creativity, innovation and player empathy as well as really geeky quant chops, exceptional business acumen and the intellectual horsepower to work with complexity. The industry attracts people with an intense drive to win as it's the only way to succeed. These qualities are exciting and fuel my passion to come to work each day.

Finally, the style of Scopely was the cherry on top. An irreverent, quirky, authentic environment and culture that encourages healthy debate and real relationships. Scopeleans embrace the adventure and play to win. I could easily see why this group of people had been successful so far and I saw an opportunity to materially contribute to business outcomes through the experience and diversity of approach that I uniquely bring.

Q: How has it surprised you so far?

A: A few things really stand out to me. First, the volume, variety and velocity of what we achieve on an ongoing daily basis is incredible! There is such a strong willingness to tackle the next challenge, find a way through obstacles and accomplish whatever we set out to do across all teams. Also, the executive team is very “product first”--there is a deep belief that everything flows from creating great experiences in our products and I see us driving this in many ways. Culturally, there are so many home grown attributes that are truly unique to Scopely, which create a sense of community and specialness that I think is unique. I also have been surprised by the internationally diverse team--I look around in meetings and see colleagues from Israel, Spain, France, Turkey, Brazil, across the US and more. We truly have a collection of the best of the best from the around globe.

Q: What are you hoping to accomplish in your first year?

A: I like to say that I “cause the conversations” that accelerate our ability to achieve outcomes. There are structural ways I think I’ve already helped us get our priorities into sharp focus and I’m helping us put the frameworks and communication channels in place to ensure dialogue across teams and levels. Scopely believes each team and department should have the autonomy to define their own culture and at the same time we need alignment on some common denominators that enable us to act as one company. In my first year I am focusing on the core practices and processes that support us in this--from workforce planning to how we provide feedback and offer incentives, to new communication channels needed as a growing global company. I’m also focused on building a truly global People Team function that will support the future growth of the business.

Q: How do you strive to build a high-performing environment?

A: Throughout my career, I’ve been influenced by certain models and theories that have helped shape how I approach team relationships, structure, functionality, culture and achievement. One of the most important aspects to me is the foundation of trust. Trust is a requirement for healthy conflict, debate, and real buy-in and accountability. The Trusted Advisor by Robert M. Galford and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni articulate these concepts well. I believe high-performance is most likely achieved in an environment where people know what they can expect from each other--this is core to trust. It’s not just about clear objectives but also the relationship. High-performance happens when there is a healthy “relationship bottom line” between teammates and up/down the org chart. To build this environment we reinforce through our People programs that reporting lines are best understood as supporting lines, conversations are about calibration and managers and their direct reports have 50/50 responsibility in raising issues, giving and asking for feedback, collaborating on goals and holding each other accountable. This requires courage, vulnerability and the willingness to take radical personal responsibility for what we are each bringing to the table.

See Roxane's welcome announcement here.