Leveraging unmatched local expertise with global perspective, Niko Partners delivers the most in-depth video game business intelligence and consumer insights for Asia and MENA, the world’s fastest-growing regions.
A certified woman-owned business
Since 2002, we have been exclusively researching and analyzing the video games and esports markets and consumers in Asia and MENA. We cover China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Our year-round, ongoing data-driven market research informs and benefits all custom client work. We collect and aggregate data and news in the Asian and MENA countries we cover on a daily basis, and conduct our own primary data collection.
We have a global team of analysts. Native speakers in the countries we cover conduct all of our primary research: fielding surveys, running focus group, talking to gamers, visiting events and venues, and regularly meeting with game company executives and government officials.
Contact Us
Our analysts are native speakers of Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Please contact us for a direct conversation.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson
President and CEO
Lisa Cosmas Hanson is President and CEO of Niko Partners, a market research and consulting firm covering the Asia and MENA games market and their consumers. Lisa founded Niko Partners in 2002 and has since honed her expertise on the Chinese and Southeast Asian, East Asian, South Asian and MENA games industry that has benefitted Niko’s clients: Companies that are global leaders in game publishing, game services, hardware, and investments. Prior to founding Niko, she served as Lead Strategist at Viant, and as Director, Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker and Senior Analyst, Asia Pacific at IDC Research. Lisa began her career as Equity Analyst at Marusan Securities in Tokyo. Lisa appears regularly in the media such as The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times, VentureBeat, PocketGamer, GamesIndustry, Channel News Asia, and more. She is based in the US but travels to Asia and Middle East regularly to give presentations at industry events and engage with companies and gamers.
Xiaofeng Zeng
Vice President
Xiaofeng is Niko’s Vice President based in China. He has worked for Niko for over 15 years. He has more than 15 years of research and analysis experience, expertise in data modeling and data collection, and is bilingual in Mandarin and English. Xiaofeng manages Niko’s China focus groups, database of more than 4 million Chinese consumers, and research collection process. A hardcore gamer, Xiaofeng is the chief liaison with Niko’s China-based technology partners and the primary local contact for our clients based in China.
Daniel Ahmad
Director of Research and Insights
Daniel Ahmad is the Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners. He is responsible for leading the company’s Syndicated Research and Subscription Insights line of business, providing valuable data driven insights and analysis to clients. Daniel joined Niko Partners as an analyst in 2016 and helped build out Niko’s Value Added News Analysis service and Syndicated Research line to cover 13 markets across Asia and MENA. Daniel has also built a vast following of readers on Twitter via his @ZhugeEX account, and is frequently quoted in major news, business, and gaming media outlets as a thought leader in the field of video games. His deep understanding of the Asia and MENA market, coupled with his ability to provide actionable insights, has helped clients find success within a complex region.
Darang Candra
Director for East Asia and Southeast Asia Research
Darang is the Director for Southeast Asia and East Asia Research for Niko Partners. He has over 10 years of research experience, working with major game developers/publishers, government agencies, and an array of research institutions including ASEAN Study Center of Universitas Indonesia, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Darang also has two master’s degrees: a Master of International Affairs from University of California, San Diego and a Master of Chinese Studies from Zhejiang University. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Darang has been a speaker in many gaming conference and tech-related events in Asia.
Alexander Champlin
Senior Analyst & Lead Writer/Editor
Alexander leads Niko’s writing & editing team and esports research practice as well as the primary analyst for special topics impacting the video game industry across Asia and MENA. His work includes analysis of all esports data as well as directing white papers and topic reports, such as esports, web3, metaverse, gametech, and game infrastructure. Alexander holds a PhD in Media Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara with an emphasis on esports, and has authored chapters of several books used in the industry.
Tyler Sycamore
Director of Data Analytics & Custom Consulting
Tyler has nearly 20 years of experience consulting with clients on doing business in Southeast Asia and he specializes in business and developmental economics in the APAC region. He is responsible for leading the company’s data analytics and Custom Consulting. He has an International MBA from National Institute of Developmental Administration in Bangkok, Thailand and a Master of International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego. Tyler is fluent in both Thai and English.
Caroline Pratama
Senior Project Manager
Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Caroline is responsible for managing Niko’s research projects and deliverables. Her background is in research and academic writing, and project and stakeholder management. Previously, she worked as an Advisor at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for the ASEAN-German PROTECT project. Caroline obtained her master’s degree from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Seoul National University. She is fluent in English, Indonesian and Korean.
Jaqualine Lukman
Senior Communications Manager
Jaqualine is the Senior Communications Manager who oversees communications and operational activities across marketing, client fulfillment, media relations, and public-facing content. Prior to joining Niko, she has worked in both the public and private sectors, including roles at a communications consultancy, an international development agency, and Indonesia’s line ministry. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Narinder Kapur
Senior Analyst & Global Business Development
Narinder is a Senior Analyst for Niko Partners and has been covering India’s video games market with responsibilities including preparing Niko’s annual market reports and running custom projects in the country for the firm’s clients. Narinder is also part of Niko’s senior strategy and business development teams, and leverages over a decade of experience in finance and financial journalism to help build realistic, achievable approaches and outcomes for companies seeking to enter and expand in games markets across Asia & MENA. Prior to joining Niko, Narinder worked as an Analyst at Convergent Finance, a Mumbai-based private equity firm. Narinder holds a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex.
Mohamed Zaher
Analyst
Mohamed Zaher is Niko’s Analyst who covers the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) video games industry. One of the authors of Niko’s MENA Games Market Report, he also contributes to client research projects and value-added news analysis while engaging with the key people in the industry. Passionate to witness the growing MENA games market, he has represented Niko Partners at several major game events in MENA, speaking at conferences to share Niko’s insights on the region. Zaher holds a master’s degree in Chinese Language from Tianjin Foreign Studies University. He is based in Egypt and is trilingual in English, Arabic, and Chinese.
Edward Tien
Analyst
Edward is an analyst at Niko Partners who covers the trends and insights of the video game industry in Malaysia and China. In addition to providing analysis and insights for Niko’s reports and articles, he represented Niko in several major gaming events and conferences, including Malaysia Digital Content Festival 2023, ESI 2023, gamescom asia, and M4 World Championship. Prior to working at Niko, Edward is the first Southeast Asian to graduate with a master’s degree in esports at Staffordshire University (UK), where he was a recipient of the British Council GREAT Scholarship.
Jacob Illing-Wilson
Analyst
Jacob is an Analyst with Niko Partners covering Japan and the East Asia market. He takes part in syndicated and custom projects, value-added news analysis, as well as assisting with outreach to Japanese-speaking audience. He holds a degree in International Studies majoring in Japanese. Based in Australia and a lifelong gamer, he is fluent in English and Japanese, having passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test at the highest level (N1) in 2022 on first attempt.
Linh Diep
Product Manager & Analyst
Linh is Niko’s Product Manager and Analyst. She is in charge of managing NikoIQ –Niko’s online interactive dashboard, performing data analytics, and covering the Vietnamese games market insights. Her prior work experiences involve technical product management, data analysis, and market research. She earned a Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science from Stony Brook University and MBA from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Based in Vietnam, she is fluent in Vietnamese and English.
Board of Advisors
Joost Van Dreunen
Advisor
Considered “the top academic in the $160 billion video games industry,” Joost teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business and is author of One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games. Previously he was co-founder and CEO of SuperData Research, a games market research firm, which was acquired by Nielsen in 2018. Joost works as an advisory board member for a portfolio of both publicly traded firms and startups in gaming. He publishes a weekly newsletter on gaming, tech, and entertainment called SuperJoost Playlist.
Michele Maguire
Advisor
Michele advises on business development and corporate strategy for Niko Partners. She is Senior Vice President for Asteri Networks, an eSports technology and data service, previously managed Game Developers Conference including the event’s international expansion, and has expertise in growth, strategic partnerships, international business development, cross-functional team management, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She has trusted Niko Partners for delivering guidance back when she worked on projects that required deep understanding of the game industry in China. She always looks to Niko Partners for insights as the firm remains the most respected source of expert data and advice for companies doing business in video games markets that matter.
Leah Williams
Advisor
Leah advises on sales and go-to-market strategies for Niko Partners. Leah has held various sales leadership positions spanning over 20 years, most recently as Director, Enterprise Sales at Google Cloud. Leah has also held sales leadership positions at LinkedIn and Microsoft. She is experienced with new acquisition sales, navigating emerging growth markets and has forged impactful partnerships. A proud graduate of the University of Washington, Leah remains deeply connected to her alma mater, now serving as an advisor for the Foster School of Business Masters in Entrepreneur program. Her dedication to continuous learning led her to earn an Executive Certificate in Management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Leah brings her brand of thought leadership to Niko Partners, helping to keep the company one step ahead in the ever-evolving games landscape.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson
President and CEO
Lisa Cosmas Hanson is President and CEO of Niko Partners, a market research and consulting firm covering the Asia and MENA games market and their consumers. Lisa founded Niko Partners in 2002 and has since honed her expertise on the Chinese and Southeast Asian, East Asian, South Asian and MENA games industry that has benefitted Niko’s clients: Companies that are global leaders in game publishing, game services, hardware, and investments. Prior to founding Niko, she served as Lead Strategist at Viant, and as Director, Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker and Senior Analyst, Asia Pacific at IDC Research. Lisa began her career as Equity Analyst at Marusan Securities in Tokyo. Lisa appears regularly in the media such as The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times, VentureBeat, PocketGamer, GamesIndustry, Channel News Asia, and more. She is based in the US but travels to Asia and Middle East regularly to give presentations at industry events and engage with companies and gamers.
Xiaofeng Zeng
Vice President
Xiaofeng is Niko’s Vice President based in China. He has worked for Niko for over 15 years. He has more than 15 years of research and analysis experience, expertise in data modeling and data collection, and is bilingual in Mandarin and English. Xiaofeng manages Niko’s China focus groups, database of more than 4 million Chinese consumers, and research collection process. A hardcore gamer, Xiaofeng is the chief liaison with Niko’s China-based technology partners and the primary local contact for our clients based in China.
Daniel Ahmad
Director of Research and Insights
Daniel Ahmad is the Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners. He is responsible for leading the company’s Syndicated Research and Subscription Insights line of business, providing valuable data driven insights and analysis to clients. Daniel joined Niko Partners as an analyst in 2016 and helped build out Niko’s Value Added News Analysis service and Syndicated Research line to cover 13 markets across Asia and MENA. Daniel has also built a vast following of readers on Twitter via his @ZhugeEX account, and is frequently quoted in major news, business, and gaming media outlets as a thought leader in the field of video games. His deep understanding of the Asia and MENA market, coupled with his ability to provide actionable insights, has helped clients find success within a complex region.
Darang Candra
Director for East Asia and Southeast Asia Research
Darang is the Director for Southeast Asia and East Asia Research for Niko Partners. He has over 10 years of research experience, working with major game developers/publishers, government agencies, and an array of research institutions including ASEAN Study Center of Universitas Indonesia, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Darang also has two master’s degrees: a Master of International Affairs from University of California, San Diego and a Master of Chinese Studies from Zhejiang University. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Darang has been a speaker in many gaming conference and tech-related events in Asia.
Alexander Champlin
Senior Analyst & Lead Writer/Editor
Alexander leads Niko’s writing & editing team and esports research practice as well as the primary analyst for special topics impacting the video game industry across Asia and MENA. His work includes analysis of all esports data as well as directing white papers and topic reports, such as esports, web3, metaverse, gametech, and game infrastructure. Alexander holds a PhD in Media Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara with an emphasis on esports, and has authored chapters of several books used in the industry.
Tyler Sycamore
Director of Data Analytics & Custom Consulting
Tyler has nearly 20 years of experience consulting with clients on doing business in Southeast Asia and he specializes in business and developmental economics in the APAC region. He is responsible for leading the company’s data analytics and Custom Consulting. He has an International MBA from National Institute of Developmental Administration in Bangkok, Thailand and a Master of International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego. Tyler is fluent in both Thai and English.
Caroline Pratama
Senior Project Manager
Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Caroline is responsible for managing Niko’s research projects and deliverables. Her background is in research and academic writing, and project and stakeholder management. Previously, she worked as an Advisor at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for the ASEAN-German PROTECT project. Caroline obtained her master’s degree from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Seoul National University. She is fluent in English, Indonesian and Korean.
Jaqualine Lukman
Senior Communications Manager
Jaqualine is the Senior Communications Manager who oversees communications and operational activities across marketing, client fulfillment, media relations, and public-facing content. Prior to joining Niko, she has worked in both the public and private sectors, including roles at a communications consultancy, an international development agency, and Indonesia’s line ministry. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Narinder Kapur
Senior Analyst & Global Business Development
Narinder is a Senior Analyst for Niko Partners and has been covering India’s video games market with responsibilities including preparing Niko’s annual market reports and running custom projects in the country for the firm’s clients. Narinder is also part of Niko’s senior strategy and business development teams, and leverages over a decade of experience in finance and financial journalism to help build realistic, achievable approaches and outcomes for companies seeking to enter and expand in games markets across Asia & MENA. Prior to joining Niko, Narinder worked as an Analyst at Convergent Finance, a Mumbai-based private equity firm. Narinder holds a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex.
Mohamed Zaher
Analyst
Mohamed Zaher is Niko’s Analyst who covers the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) video games industry. One of the authors of Niko’s MENA Games Market Report, he also contributes to client research projects and value-added news analysis while engaging with the key people in the industry. Passionate to witness the growing MENA games market, he has represented Niko Partners at several major game events in MENA, speaking at conferences to share Niko’s insights on the region. Zaher holds a master’s degree in Chinese Language from Tianjin Foreign Studies University. He is based in Egypt and is trilingual in English, Arabic, and Chinese.
Edward Tien
Analyst
Edward is an analyst at Niko Partners who covers the trends and insights of the video game industry in Malaysia and China. In addition to providing analysis and insights for Niko’s reports and articles, he represented Niko in several major gaming events and conferences, including Malaysia Digital Content Festival 2023, ESI 2023, gamescom asia, and M4 World Championship. Prior to working at Niko, Edward is the first Southeast Asian to graduate with a master’s degree in esports at Staffordshire University (UK), where he was a recipient of the British Council GREAT Scholarship.
Jacob Illing-Wilson
Analyst
Jacob is an Analyst with Niko Partners covering Japan and the East Asia market. He takes part in syndicated and custom projects, value-added news analysis, as well as assisting with outreach to Japanese-speaking audience. He holds a degree in International Studies majoring in Japanese. Based in Australia and a lifelong gamer, he is fluent in English and Japanese, having passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test at the highest level (N1) in 2022 on first attempt.
Linh Diep
Product Manager & Analyst
Linh is Niko’s Product Manager and Analyst. She is in charge of managing NikoIQ –Niko’s online interactive dashboard, performing data analytics, and covering the Vietnamese games market insights. Her prior work experiences involve technical product management, data analysis, and market research. She earned a Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science from Stony Brook University and MBA from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Based in Vietnam, she is fluent in Vietnamese and English.
Board of Advisors
Joost Van Dreunen
Advisor
Considered “the top academic in the $160 billion video games industry,” Joost teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business and is author of One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games. Previously he was co-founder and CEO of SuperData Research, a games market research firm, which was acquired by Nielsen in 2018. Joost works as an advisory board member for a portfolio of both publicly traded firms and startups in gaming. He publishes a weekly newsletter on gaming, tech, and entertainment called SuperJoost Playlist.
Michele Maguire
Advisor
Michele advises on business development and corporate strategy for Niko Partners. She is Senior Vice President for Asteri Networks, an eSports technology and data service, previously managed Game Developers Conference including the event’s international expansion, and has expertise in growth, strategic partnerships, international business development, cross-functional team management, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She has trusted Niko Partners for delivering guidance back when she worked on projects that required deep understanding of the game industry in China. She always looks to Niko Partners for insights as the firm remains the most respected source of expert data and advice for companies doing business in video games markets that matter.
Leah Williams
Advisor
Leah advises on sales and go-to-market strategies for Niko Partners. Leah has held various sales leadership positions spanning over 20 years, most recently as Director, Enterprise Sales at Google Cloud. Leah has also held sales leadership positions at LinkedIn and Microsoft. She is experienced with new acquisition sales, navigating emerging growth markets and has forged impactful partnerships. A proud graduate of the University of Washington, Leah remains deeply connected to her alma mater, now serving as an advisor for the Foster School of Business Masters in Entrepreneur program. Her dedication to continuous learning led her to earn an Executive Certificate in Management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Leah brings her brand of thought leadership to Niko Partners, helping to keep the company one step ahead in the ever-evolving games landscape.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson
President and CEO
Lisa Cosmas Hanson is President and CEO of Niko Partners, a market research and consulting firm covering the Asia and MENA games market and their consumers. Lisa founded Niko Partners in 2002 and has since honed her expertise on the Chinese and Southeast Asian, East Asian, South Asian and MENA games industry that has benefitted Niko’s clients: Companies that are global leaders in game publishing, game services, hardware, and investments. Prior to founding Niko, she served as Lead Strategist at Viant, and as Director, Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker and Senior Analyst, Asia Pacific at IDC Research. Lisa began her career as Equity Analyst at Marusan Securities in Tokyo. Lisa appears regularly in the media such as The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times, VentureBeat, PocketGamer, GamesIndustry, Channel News Asia, and more. She is based in the US but travels to Asia and Middle East regularly to give presentations at industry events and engage with companies and gamers.
Xiaofeng Zeng
Vice President
Xiaofeng is Niko’s Vice President based in China. He has worked for Niko for over 15 years. He has more than 15 years of research and analysis experience, expertise in data modeling and data collection, and is bilingual in Mandarin and English. Xiaofeng manages Niko’s China focus groups, database of more than 4 million Chinese consumers, and research collection process. A hardcore gamer, Xiaofeng is the chief liaison with Niko’s China-based technology partners and the primary local contact for our clients based in China.
Daniel Ahmad
Director of Research and Insights
Daniel Ahmad is the Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners. He is responsible for leading the company’s Syndicated Research and Subscription Insights line of business, providing valuable data driven insights and analysis to clients. Daniel joined Niko Partners as an analyst in 2016 and helped build out Niko’s Value Added News Analysis service and Syndicated Research line to cover 13 markets across Asia and MENA. Daniel has also built a vast following of readers on Twitter via his @ZhugeEX account, and is frequently quoted in major news, business, and gaming media outlets as a thought leader in the field of video games. His deep understanding of the Asia and MENA market, coupled with his ability to provide actionable insights, has helped clients find success within a complex region.
Darang Candra
Director for East Asia and Southeast Asia Research
Darang is the Director for Southeast Asia and East Asia Research for Niko Partners. He has over 10 years of research experience, working with major game developers/publishers, government agencies, and an array of research institutions including ASEAN Study Center of Universitas Indonesia, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Darang also has two master’s degrees: a Master of International Affairs from University of California, San Diego and a Master of Chinese Studies from Zhejiang University. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Darang has been a speaker in many gaming conference and tech-related events in Asia.
Alexander Champlin
Senior Analyst & Lead Writer/Editor
Alexander leads Niko’s writing & editing team and esports research practice as well as the primary analyst for special topics impacting the video game industry across Asia and MENA. His work includes analysis of all esports data as well as directing white papers and topic reports, such as esports, web3, metaverse, gametech, and game infrastructure. Alexander holds a PhD in Media Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara with an emphasis on esports, and has authored chapters of several books used in the industry.
Tyler Sycamore
Director of Data Analytics & Custom Consulting
Tyler has nearly 20 years of experience consulting with clients on doing business in Southeast Asia and he specializes in business and developmental economics in the APAC region. He is responsible for leading the company’s data analytics and Custom Consulting. He has an International MBA from National Institute of Developmental Administration in Bangkok, Thailand and a Master of International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego. Tyler is fluent in both Thai and English.
Caroline Pratama
Senior Project Manager
Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Caroline is responsible for managing Niko’s research projects and deliverables. Her background is in research and academic writing, and project and stakeholder management. Previously, she worked as an Advisor at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for the ASEAN-German PROTECT project. Caroline obtained her master’s degree from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Seoul National University. She is fluent in English, Indonesian and Korean.
Jaqualine Lukman
Senior Communications Manager
Jaqualine is the Senior Communications Manager who oversees communications and operational activities across marketing, client fulfillment, media relations, and public-facing content. Prior to joining Niko, she has worked in both the public and private sectors, including roles at a communications consultancy, an international development agency, and Indonesia’s line ministry. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Narinder Kapur
Senior Analyst & Global Business Development
Narinder is a Senior Analyst for Niko Partners and has been covering India’s video games market with responsibilities including preparing Niko’s annual market reports and running custom projects in the country for the firm’s clients. Narinder is also part of Niko’s senior strategy and business development teams, and leverages over a decade of experience in finance and financial journalism to help build realistic, achievable approaches and outcomes for companies seeking to enter and expand in games markets across Asia & MENA. Prior to joining Niko, Narinder worked as an Analyst at Convergent Finance, a Mumbai-based private equity firm. Narinder holds a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex.
Mohamed Zaher
Analyst
Mohamed Zaher is Niko’s Analyst who covers the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) video games industry. One of the authors of Niko’s MENA Games Market Report, he also contributes to client research projects and value-added news analysis while engaging with the key people in the industry. Passionate to witness the growing MENA games market, he has represented Niko Partners at several major game events in MENA, speaking at conferences to share Niko’s insights on the region. Zaher holds a master’s degree in Chinese Language from Tianjin Foreign Studies University. He is based in Egypt and is trilingual in English, Arabic, and Chinese.
Edward Tien
Analyst
Edward is an analyst at Niko Partners who covers the trends and insights of the video game industry in Malaysia and China. In addition to providing analysis and insights for Niko’s reports and articles, he represented Niko in several major gaming events and conferences, including Malaysia Digital Content Festival 2023, ESI 2023, gamescom asia, and M4 World Championship. Prior to working at Niko, Edward is the first Southeast Asian to graduate with a master’s degree in esports at Staffordshire University (UK), where he was a recipient of the British Council GREAT Scholarship.
Jacob Illing-Wilson
Analyst
Jacob is an Analyst with Niko Partners covering Japan and the East Asia market. He takes part in syndicated and custom projects, value-added news analysis, as well as assisting with outreach to Japanese-speaking audience. He holds a degree in International Studies majoring in Japanese. Based in Australia and a lifelong gamer, he is fluent in English and Japanese, having passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test at the highest level (N1) in 2022 on first attempt.
Linh Diep
Product Manager & Analyst
Linh is Niko’s Product Manager and Analyst. She is in charge of managing NikoIQ –Niko’s online interactive dashboard, performing data analytics, and covering the Vietnamese games market insights. Her prior work experiences involve technical product management, data analysis, and market research. She earned a Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science from Stony Brook University and MBA from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Based in Vietnam, she is fluent in Vietnamese and English.
Board of Advisors
Joost Van Dreunen
Advisor
Considered “the top academic in the $160 billion video games industry,” Joost teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business and is author of One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games. Previously he was co-founder and CEO of SuperData Research, a games market research firm, which was acquired by Nielsen in 2018. Joost works as an advisory board member for a portfolio of both publicly traded firms and startups in gaming. He publishes a weekly newsletter on gaming, tech, and entertainment called SuperJoost Playlist.
Michele Maguire
Advisor
Michele advises on business development and corporate strategy for Niko Partners. She is Senior Vice President for Asteri Networks, an eSports technology and data service, previously managed Game Developers Conference including the event’s international expansion, and has expertise in growth, strategic partnerships, international business development, cross-functional team management, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She has trusted Niko Partners for delivering guidance back when she worked on projects that required deep understanding of the game industry in China. She always looks to Niko Partners for insights as the firm remains the most respected source of expert data and advice for companies doing business in video games markets that matter.
Leah Williams
Advisor
Leah advises on sales and go-to-market strategies for Niko Partners. Leah has held various sales leadership positions spanning over 20 years, most recently as Director, Enterprise Sales at Google Cloud. Leah has also held sales leadership positions at LinkedIn and Microsoft. She is experienced with new acquisition sales, navigating emerging growth markets and has forged impactful partnerships. A proud graduate of the University of Washington, Leah remains deeply connected to her alma mater, now serving as an advisor for the Foster School of Business Masters in Entrepreneur program. Her dedication to continuous learning led her to earn an Executive Certificate in Management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Leah brings her brand of thought leadership to Niko Partners, helping to keep the company one step ahead in the ever-evolving games landscape.