Jamie Knight, new Chief Studios Officer of IGT
IGT has announced that Jamie Knight will take over as Chief Studios Officer effective January 1, 2027, replacing Jean Venneman, who will retire at the end of 2026 after more than 30 years in the gaming industry.
Knight will build his management on the strong foundation laid during Venneman's leadership, leading IGT's global studio investments, driving innovation in the company's game design, content development and studio operations.
Knight brings two decades of experience at leading providers in the industry, with a deep specialization in translating creative vision into content that connects with the player. Having started her career as a creative, she has a perspective that allows her to understand the collaborative process necessary to transform original concepts into successful products, something that will mark her leadership at the helm of studio operations.
Jean Venneman, who will retire on December 31, 2026, began his career at IGT in the early 1990s and has since held various senior positions in product development, licensing, technology and operations, before rejoining the company in 2024. Since his return, he has rebuilt the organization's global studio operations from the ground up, leading a world-renowned team of more than 1,200 employees, establishing shared best practices across studio cultures, and creating the operational and creative foundation that positions IGT and Everi for accelerated growth.
Hector Fernandez, CEO of IGT, said Venneman's leadership laid the foundation for this new phase of growth, bringing together talented teams, strengthening the operation of the company's studios and raising the bar for creative and operational excellence. According to Fernandez, Knight's combination of creative instinct, studio leadership and focus on design innovation and game math will further drive that dynamic across the entire IGT and Everi studio organization.
For her part, Jamie Knight, the next Chief Studios Officer, said she was motivated to lead the studio teams and build on the solid foundation already in place, with the aim of continuing to push the boundaries of game design, content strategy and mathematical innovation with the IGT and Everi teams. Venneman, for her part, said that returning to the organization and helping to strengthen its global studio structure has been a significant way to close her career, and she is convinced that Knight will be able to drive that momentum in the next phase of the company's growth.
