The gaming industry has become a massive global ecosystem, spanning interactive entertainment, esports, and online platforms with millions of players. With rapid growth comes heightened cybersecurity challenges, from safeguarding player data and preventing fraud to securing development pipelines and live services. The CISOs and security leaders below are driving the security strategies that enable innovation, protect players, and maintain trust across the industry.
J. Nicole Dove – Head of Security, Riot Games
- Nicole Dove is an award-winning information security leader with eighteen years of experience spanning cybersecurity, audit, global operations, and relationship management. As Head of Security at Riot Games, she leads a team of business information security officers, developing cybersecurity strategies aligned with business priorities. Nicole applies her experience from investment banking, media, offshoring, audit, and consulting to enable innovation, manage risk, and drive operational efficiency. She is recognized for her leadership in security awareness, program development, and risk management, and has received the 2021 Executive Women’s Forum Woman of Influence Award. Nicole is also a visiting lecturer, cybersecurity instructor, and international speaker, with credentials including a Harvard Executive Certificate in Cybersecurity and certification in Risk Management Assurance.
Romain Chataigner – VP of Security & Risk Management, Ubisoft
Romain Chataigner brings nearly twenty years of cybersecurity leadership experience to Ubisoft, where he oversees business and product security, operations, risk management, and employee safety. He leads a global team of 135 security professionals, developing programs that align with company strategy while positioning security as a business enabler. Romain manages departmental budgets, communicates risk to executives, collaborates with HR and legal teams, and organizes cross-company security initiatives. Throughout his career, he has built international teams, developed risk-based approaches, and implemented security programs spanning multiple business units, always focusing on strategic impact and enabling innovation across the organization.
Kevin Carpenter – Director of Information Security, Epic Games
Kevin Carpenter has over twenty years of experience in information security and IT leadership. At Epic Games, he oversees the company’s security strategy, focusing on risk management, threat mitigation, and protecting global player ecosystems. His experience spans architecture, security operations, and enterprise IT, having previously served as Information Security Architect at Epic Games, Associate Director of Global IT Security at Quintiles, and Senior Systems Engineer at Peopleclick. Kevin’s expertise ensures the protection of both the company’s products and its infrastructure, supporting secure development and live services for millions of players worldwide.
Shawna Murphy Butterworth – Head of Information Security, Roblox
Shawna Murphy Butterworth is a seasoned leader with over fifteen years of experience building and mentoring high-performing security engineering teams. She focuses on application, network, cloud, and infrastructure security, as well as risk assessment and strategic planning. At Roblox, Shawna leads efforts to secure identity and access management, production systems, data centers, secrets management, and AI security at scale. Her leadership emphasizes collaboration, problem-solving, and cultivating the next generation of cybersecurity talent while maintaining a secure platform for millions of players.
Mike Reavy – CISO & Senior Vice President Security Engineering, Electronic Arts
Mike Reavy is an established security executive with experience in product engineering, incident response, risk management, and security assurance. As EA’s CISO and Senior Vice President of Security Engineering, he oversees GRC, product security, vulnerability management, incident response, and SOC operations, ensuring safe gameplay and account security for millions of players. Mike previously led Microsoft’s security programs for Azure and Trustworthy Computing, including responses to high-profile incidents such as Stuxnet and Flame. He is a frequent keynote speaker at major cybersecurity conferences and serves as an advisor and board member for multiple organizations.
Temi Adebambo – GM Security (CISO), Microsoft Gaming
Temi Adebambo is a veteran cybersecurity leader with two decades of experience across technology, gaming, financial services, and consumer products. At Microsoft Gaming, he safeguards platforms including Xbox, Call of Duty, Halo, Minecraft, and Candy Crush, protecting over 500 million monthly active users. Temi’s expertise covers cloud security, application security, identity and access management, data protection, privacy, threat detection, and incident response. He has led enterprise-wide security transformations and holds multiple certifications across AWS, GCP, and Azure. Temi is also an accomplished communicator, regularly sharing insights on cybersecurity strategy and governance across the gaming and technology sectors.
Gaming Industry Security Leaders Enabling Growth and Trust
Gaming presents unique cybersecurity challenges, from safeguarding vast player bases to securing complex live-service platforms. The leaders highlighted here exemplify how strategic security, operational excellence, and innovative thinking come together to protect players, drive business success, and maintain trust. Their work ensures that gaming ecosystems remain safe, resilient, and ready to support the global growth of interactive entertainment and esports.