
6 November 2025
Welcome to our new Trustees...

Into Games is delighted to announce the appointment of five new trustees to its board: Danny Grey, Colin Macdonald, Clare Hawkins, Viki Freeman, and Jill Hodges.
Collectively, they bring decades of experience across game development, education, marketing, business leadership, and talent development. As Into Games enters a new era as a fully fledged charity with a renewed focus on improving social mobility in the UK games sector, these appointments strengthen its commitment to ensuring that anyone, regardless of background, can access and thrive in a career in games.
Into Games CEO, Declan Cassidy stated, “As Into Games enters a new era as a fully fledged charity, with a clear mission to improve social mobility in the UK video games sector, we’re thrilled to welcome a new board bringing decades of global experience and insight. Most importantly, each of our trustees has also got a lived experience of the challenges faced by those from a working-class and low-income background, making our board a true reflection of the mission we serve.”
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Danny Grey
As Chief Creative Officer and Game Director at ustwo games, Danny leads the creative vision behind award-winning and progressive titles such as Monument Valley, Assemble with Care, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, and Desta: The Memories Between. With over twelve years at ustwo and prior experience at Hello Games and Lionhead Studios, Danny champions telling underrepresented stories and inspiring positive change through play.
“If it wasn’t for a few sliding doors moments in my younger years, I never would have gotten into this industry. This country is full of untapped potential and fresh stories to be told, if only we could improve access. Game development teams should be representative of the people playing those games — to deprive ourselves of that flavour is to eat plain chips without condiments, it’s just wrong.”
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Colin Macdonald
Over a 35-year career, Colin has overseen dozens of games including the early Grand Theft Auto titles, Crackdown, and the Lemmings and Prince of Persia licences. He spent six years as Channel 4 Television’s Games Commissioner and now runs Games Jobs Live, advises Rivet Games, Speech Graphics, and Johnston Carmichael’s Tech Advisory Board, chairs the Scottish Game Developers Association, and manages the Content Fund at the UK Games Fund.
“I was touched and honoured to be invited to become a trustee of Into Games, whose work I have admired and supported for years. Joining Into Games allows me to continue this important work on a broader scale, contributing to initiatives that inspire and support the next generation of talent in our vibrant industry.”
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Clare Hawkins
Clare is Director of Marketing at Bastion, a global games marketing agency working with developers and publishers across the industry. Her three-decade career has included senior roles at SEGA, Eidos, and Curve Games, working on iconic brands such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, LEGO Star Wars and Football Manager. She also founded a licensing and brand partnerships agency representing BBC Studios among others.
“I joined Into Games because its mission resonates with my own story. I grew up in a working-class family where higher education and early career support weren’t accessible, so I found my way into the industry through distribution — a pathway that’s largely disappeared. Joining the Into Games board allows me to support its mission to open doors that were once closed, advocate for practical entry points, and back the next generation of game-makers from every walk of life.”
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Viki Freeman
Viki Freeman is COO at Airship, an award-winning art production studio serving the global video games industry. Her career spans business growth, people development, and operations, with a focus on building sustainable teams and inclusive cultures. She is passionate about unlocking talent and creating equitable opportunities across the creative industries.
“I wanted to join Into Games as a trustee because I believe in building bridges between potential and opportunity. Into Games stands for the inclusive, practical progress our industry needs — empowering individuals, supporting educators, and connecting them with real pathways into games.”
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Jill Hodges
Jill Hodges is an experienced entrepreneur and trustee committed to widening access and diversity in the UK tech industry. As a board member at Into Games, she draws on her leadership as founder of Fire Tech and her role running the educational philanthropy portfolio for Amazon, overseeing Amazon Future Engineer initiatives. Jill has empowered over 90,000 young people globally through digital skills education and has partnered with corporates, governments, and NGOs to champion social mobility. She brings expertise in strategic leadership and impact-driven programme delivery, supporting Into Games’ mission to help underrepresented talent build careers in games.
“I want to be an Into Games Trustee because I am passionate about creating real pathways for young people—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—to succeed in tech and specifically in the games industry. My experience in EdTech and educational philanthropy has shown me how transformative access to skills and opportunities can be. Into Games’ mission resonates with my values, and I am eager to help scale its impact, spread employment and training opportunities, and collaborate with industry partners to unlock careers in games for all.”
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