# Deborah Kirkham

> Deborah Kirkham is CEO of Side, formerly PTW, and a board member of Pole To Win Holdings. A former LucasArts and Bandai Namco operations executive, she moved into game services in 2010 and became CEO in January 2019. Her public leadership story centers on regional autonomy, developing colleagues and giving external game-development work greater visibility.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Side; Board Member at Pole To Win Holdings
- **Organizations:** Side, Pole To Win Holdings, PTW, e4e, Bandai Namco Games America, LucasArts
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Russian Literature, University of California, San Diego
- **Known for:** Received the 2025 TIGA Outstanding Leadership award., Led the international business during expansion from three countries at her arrival to ten countries and more than 1,800 employees by the March 2019 CEO announcement., Led the July 2018 corporate restructuring.

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Completed a BA in Russian Literature at the University of California, San Diego.
- **2008-02** — Joined LucasArts; served as Director of Production Services.
- **2009-05** — Joined Bandai Namco Games America; served as Director of Operations.
- **2010-07** — Became President of Interactive Entertainment at e4e.
- **2012-10** — Became COO of PTW America.
- **2016-01** — Became COO of PTW International Holdings.
- **2018-07** — Led a corporate restructuring intended to give regional sites more commercial and operational autonomy.
- **2019-01** — Became CEO of PTW International, now Side.
- **2019-04** — Joined the board of the parent company, now Pole To Win Holdings.
- **2025-03** — Led the business as PTW and its family of brands unified under the Side name.
- **2025-11** — Received the Outstanding Leadership award at the TIGA Games Industry Awards.

## Achievements

- Received the 2025 TIGA Outstanding Leadership award.
- Led the international business during expansion from three countries at her arrival to ten countries and more than 1,800 employees by the March 2019 CEO announcement.
- Led the July 2018 corporate restructuring.
- Oversaw the 2025 unification of PTW, SIDE, 1518 Studios and Ghostpunch Games under the Side brand.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Side signed a binding memorandum of understanding with Modl.ai for an initial six-month program of AI-enabled game QA product development and commercial pilots; results were planned for 2027.
- **2026-06** — Following Westminster Games Week, Kirkham argued for greater visibility for external development and more UK entry-level opportunities in testing and localization.
- **2026-05** — Side announced a leadership reorganization, with sales reporting directly to Kirkham, Olivier Deslandes becoming COO, Sijo Jose becoming Chief Services Officer and Kaley Hurst becoming CMO.
- **2026-01** — Side opened larger Taipei premises and announced plans to create at least 75 jobs; Kirkham highlighted local talent and AI solutions.
- **2025-11** — Kirkham won the TIGA Outstanding Leadership award.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahkirkham/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/deborah-kirkham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14