Fashion and beauty gaming specialist Drest has appointed a new co-CEO with Daniel Svärd stepping up to the top job alongside co-founder and CEO Lucy Yeomans. Co-founder Graham Edwards remains as the company’s chair.

The new joint CEO brings a powerful track record with him having been Candy Crush Soda Saga GM. The company said he joins “ahead of the roll out of the exciting next evolution of Drest, due for release in October 2024”.

That new Drest will “take engagement with the real worlds of luxury fashion and lifestyle to an unprecedented level, featuring real-time narrative quests, live in-game special events and exclusive branded virtual journeys; reinforcing its leading status in the fashion gaming space”.

As mentioned, Svärd has an impressive CV and joins with over two decades of experience in gaming platforms. In his Candy Crush Soda Saga role he was GM of the second-largest game of giant video game developer and publisher King.

He’d also held senior positions at Betfair and Bwin and “brings considerable leadership, business and technology acumen. His expertise includes wider commercial company strategy, business performance and product development”.

The exec will “work closely with leading luxury content strategist Yeomans, who in turn will focus on Drest’s strategic product, partnerships, brand communications and creative development”.

Yeomans said Svärd stood out from the “extraordinary candidates from all around the world” that the company considered.

Meanwhile the company has also named gaming industry veteran, Chris Wright as its Interim Chief Technology Officer, replacing Martin Robaszewski who left the business last December.

Wright, “a highly experienced technology business consultant with almost 30 years of career in gaming, was initially brought on board to work with the game teams to look at how to heighten delivery and pace at this crucial point in the business’ trajectory”. He’ll remain with the firm for the next 12 months while the new game launches globally.

The news of both key appointments comes after last year’s news of a £15 million investment to drive the firm’s growth and development.