At Rovio, we’ve been busy operationalizing and structuring our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts since we hired our first Head of DEI in late 2022. Now, almost four years down the line, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how the journey to drive inclusion has been so far.
Below, our Head of DEI Yumi Oishi and our External DEI Lead from deidei Priyanka Banerjee, share what the starting point was, how it evolved, where Rovio stands in the broader landscape, and where we go from here. Let’s dive in.
Yumi: When I first joined Rovio in 2018 for a different role, I felt that diversity was part of the company’s DNA. At the time, we had a woman CEO which was rare for a publicly listed Finnish company, we had a much higher representation of women compared to the industry, and we had nearly 40 nationalities represented among 400 employees.
But as the company grew, there was an appetite to bring more structure. This is what led to the creation of the first DEI role in early 2022, which I applied for, and I officially stepped into that September.
To give an idea of where we were, we started with limited DEI data, no established HR systems to support our goals, and very little understanding of what DEI meant internally. I still remember employees asking me if “equity” was related to finance, money, or company stocks.
For these reasons, we knew early on that we needed to support. That’s how we kicked off a partnership with deidei, a Nordic-based global inclusion agency, the same year I started in my role. And fast forward to 2024, that’s when you and I officially teamed up, Priyanka!
Priyanka: Exactly. I stepped into the role of Rovio’s Extended DEI Lead in 2024. You were also one of the first companies to work with us through an in-house inclusion partner model, choosing strategic, integrated support over one-off learning and development or project-based work. From our point of view, most companies starting their DEI journey are not as willing to take this approach, and it was a clear signal of readiness from the get-go.
Priyanka: As you’ve continued your DEI work these past years, what are the key developments that stand out for you?
Yumi: Here are the three that stand out the most.
1. Baking equity into the employee journey DEI can feel performative if it’s just about one-off events or training sessions. To move past that, we’ve built it directly into our “People” processes, such as in our recruitment process, where we’ve adopted a structured interviewing approach and trained our hiring managers so that candidates are evaluated fairly and on the same criteria. We also track conversion rates by gender so we can spot and correct hidden biases. When a new employee joins, the ‘Building a Harassment-Free Workplace’ eLearning course is part of the onboarding process to ensure we’re creating a safe workplace.
Additionally, when our employee surveys indicated concerns around fair compensation and equal opportunities for career advancement, we published our gender pay gap and shared our internal promotion rates broken down by gender and job level, so there’s transparency.
2. Normalizing conversations beyond the “usual” baseline In the corporate world, DEI may be limited to gender equality and LGBTQIA+ visibility. Those are incredibly important, but we wanted to push further and normalize topics that companies historically shied away from, like neurodiversity, fatherhood, and FemHealth. We talk about these things because they are real parts of our employees’ lives. By breaking down taboos and removing the hidden cognitive load, we want to make sure employees can focus on what they do best: making great games.
3. Shifting to a true team effort DEI work is now being carried by Rovians beyond the two of us. A great example of this is our Global DEI Working Group. It’s a group of volunteers that runs employee-driven initiatives to foster a more inclusive workplace. We provide guidance and resources, and they take the reins, such as hosting Culture Fri-yay events and Pride celebrations. What’s even more rewarding is watching the members apply a DEI lens back to their core jobs, such as advocating for inclusive cultural representation in games or running in-game player surveys about Social Impact.
Sidenote: I agree with the organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, that the gains that count the most are the hardest to count so I didn’t mention any numbers here, but if anyone would like to dive deeper into our data, please read our latest Sustainability Report!
Priyanka: From an external perspective, all these developments and impact happened because of consistency and a data-informed strategic approach to DEI. The changes and development you mentioned did not happen in silos but in a more organized and structured way. This is the link that most companies on their inclusion journey miss, continuing one step at a time and staying consistent. It’s also exactly what you mean, Yumi, when you talk about progress over perfection.
Yumi: As an in-house practitioner, I’m so close to the day-to-day work that it makes it difficult to see things objectively! That’s why having you as our external partner has kept me grounded. In your opinion, what does Rovio’s DEI maturity look like when compared to the broader market?
Priyanka: I work with organizations across industries, mostly in the Nordics and increasingly, globally. We use a simple four-stage maturity framework to map where companies are on their journey:
Looking at Finland and the wider Nordics, most companies sit somewhere between Compliant and Explorer. The gaming industry is a step ahead of more traditional industries, but very few companies stay consistent enough to make the leap from Explorer into Foundation Builder. When you started in 2022, even with the strong existing synergy, I’d have placed Rovio in the Explorer stage. Today, you are firmly in Foundation Builder and steadily moving toward Future Proofer, where DEI is not just embedded within the company but also impacts the overall industry.
There are a few reasons that Rovio is firmly at the Foundation Builder stage. For example, Rovio’s DEI work is strategic and data-informed, not parked as a side initiative. Data that’s collected and analyzed is also acted on, not left in a report. Another reason is that, as you mentioned, Yumi, ERGs/working groups like Rovio’s DEI Working Group have support and a community. In addition, Rovio’s commitment to DEI has enabled navigating bigger organizational changes (like delisting, acquisition by SEGA, restructures) without DEI being the first thing cut.
That last one is where Rovio has impressed me the most. Many DEI functions don’t survive big structural changes. Rovio’s has, so far!
Yumi: I’m honored to hear that! Our goal is to keep the momentum going and to make an impact beyond our own workplace. For instance, we’ll be introducing accessibility checks to our game launch process, and we plan to be even more aligned with our colleagues in the SEGA group to ensure our approach to accessibility is coordinated at a group level.
Priyanka: From an external perspective, that’s well aligned with the next steps on your maturity journey. Moving toward Future Proofer is about staying consistent in continuously developing your internal inclusion work and starting to shape and influence the products, partners, and industry around you. I’m looking forward to embarking on this journey with you.