Wizards of the Coast hired Microsoft execs to run D&D. Absci Adds Chief Innovation Officer – GeekWire

Wizards of the Coast, Renton, Wash. , a gaming company owned by Hasbro, has hired Dan Rawson for a new role as senior vice president. Dungeons & Dragons.

Rawson was previously COO of Microsoft Dynamics 365, the technology giant’s business applications. He has held leadership roles in e-commerce companies Amazon, Coupang and Flipkart.

He will join Wizards President Cynthia Williams, who previously worked at Microsoft and joined the Wizards earlier this year.

“The D&D leader is a childhood dream come true,” Rawson said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be working with Cynthia again, and to work with such a talented team to expand the global reach of D&D, the game I grew up with and now play with my kids.”

Hasbro purchased Wizards of the Coast for $325 million in 1999, adding it to its portfolio of brands. My Little Pony, Transformers, GI Joe, Power Rangers, Nerf, and the Monopoly And Twisted Board games.

Last year’s witches Dungeons & Dragons And Magic: Gathering Reported record revenue. Hasbro subsequently organized itself into three new divisions, including Wizards and Digital, which it oversees D&D, Magic, and other gaming-focused brands.

Other key personnel changes in the Pacific Northwest technology industry include:

• Vancouver, Wash.-based biotech company come out He was hired Andreas Bush As Chief Creative Officer. Bush was previously an executive at Cycleryon Therapeutics, Shire and Bayer.
• Seattle home service company Balcony group It has been named. Amanda RyersonFormer head of marketing at Thumbtack, and Camila VelasquezThe New York Times Senior Vice President of Cooking, to the Board.
• Seattle market information platform Hawk He hired a former Single Store and Microsoft leader. Rick Negrin As the first Chief Operating Officer.
• A Seattle biotech startup Kinetic Hired former Element Data CFO. Keith Baker As chief financial officer.
• Seattle area biopharma supplier Biolife solutions It has been named. Geraint Phillips replacing him as Chief Operating Officer Roderick de GreefRejoining the board despite retirement from management.
• IT service company NetApp He was hired Gagan Gulatiformer chief product officer at Behavox and a 15-year Microsoft vet, vice president of data services.
• Game giant Riot games He hired a Seattle-based video game veteran. Morgan Lockhart with Riot R&D as Principal Writer.