gamescom dev 2026 will host the "Leading With Trust: Rewriting The Playbook" panel on August 25, focusing on leadership models based on trust, values and more transparent relationships within the games industry. The session will bring together five professionals who have built and led studios, product teams and executive organizations across Europe and North America, with moderation by Fiona Cherbak, founder of Rocket Game Talent and former talent lead at Xbox Game Studios and Sony PlayStation.

The session will take place from 4:15 to 5:15 PM on Stage 8, Level 2 at Koelnmesse, and aims to challenge a leadership model that, according to the organizers, still requires professionals to repeatedly prove their capabilities before earning space and trust. The discussion will examine how this dynamic appears at different levels of the industry, from studio management and product development to investor meetings and due diligence processes.

The panel's proposal is based on the idea that compassionate, values driven leadership should not be treated as a characteristic that limits business decisions, but as a strategy capable of delivering concrete results. The participants will share their experiences of no longer waiting for permission to take on leadership positions, developing organizations aligned with their own values, and creating opportunities for a new generation of professionals.

Fiona Cherbak, co founder of Women in Games International, emphasized that the discussion will not focus on whether women are capable of leading, but on exploring different ways of building trust. "This isn't a panel about proving that women can lead — that's already been proven," said Cherbak. "It's a conversation about what it means to lead by building trust differently — with your team, your investors and the next generation of developers finding their own way in. I'm honored to guide that conversation with four leaders who've done exactly that."

The panel will also feature Katya Dolgova, co founder and COO of Redhill Games, a co development studio operating in Finland and Cyprus, as well as an ambassador for Women in Games and Women in Tech. Sophie Vo, founder of ORIN and founders coach at Rise and Play, will also participate, bringing experience gained from coaching more than 300 CEOs, founders and executives across the games and technology industries.

Carina Kom, co founder and Chief Product Officer of Simply Sweet Games and a longtime advocate for equity in game development, will complete the group alongside Dr. Natasha Skult, CEO and Creative Director of MiTale and leader of W Love Games, an organization focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and support for indie developers around the world.

Katya Dolgova, co founder and COO of Redhill Games, said that the need to repeatedly prove one's capabilities represents a recurring pattern for professionals advancing in their careers. "It consistently takes longer to prove your capability at every level — not once, but again each time you step up," said Dolgova. "That's the pattern I want to name in Cologne."

Carina Kom, co founder and Chief Product Officer of Simply Sweet Games, connected the discussion about leadership with opportunities and access to capital, highlighting that trust is not distributed equally across the industry. "Capital, opportunity and leadership all depend on trust, and that trust doesn't always flow equally," added Kom. "This panel is about asking ourselves where trust is flowing, and why."

gamescom dev 2026 will take place from August 23 to 25 in Cologne, Germany, as the developer focused program preceding gamescom, which will run from August 26 to 30 at Koelnmesse. The panel aims to discuss not only who holds leadership positions, but also how the industry can build different relationships of trust with teams, investors and professionals who are redefining what leadership means in the sector.