EA promotes Laura Miele to COO, making her one of the most powerful women in video games

Electronic Arts is promoting Laura Miele, director of studios, to director of operations, the company said Thursday. The change is a big promotion for Miele, who already had significant leadership within the company overseeing 25 different studios. The new role will give Miele more oversight over the company and arguably make her the most powerful woman in the game, an industry where there are few female executives, fewer in the C-sequel, and where these executives of the C suite are often in charge of HR or finance rather than the company’s products.

Ubisoft made Virginie Hass its chief operating officer for the studios last August, following scandals related to a toxic culture, including sexual harassment and misconduct that have reached the ranks of the C-suites.

Miele joined EA in 1996 and has served as Studio Director since April 2018. The edge spoke with Miele in July, where she explained how the pandemic has changed development at EA. Miele will take office in the next few months, according to an SEC filing (PDF).

EA also announced that CFO Blake Jorgensen will be leaving the company. He is expected to leave in 2022, and a search to replace him “will begin immediately.” Chris Bruzzo, who was previously Executive Vice President of Marketing, Commerce and Company Positive Play, will become the Director of Company Experience.