Speaking with Cecilia Munthe

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the Director of Player Safety and Customer Service at Star Stable Entertainment, Cecilia Munthe. 

Star Stable Entertainment is the home of the #1 fastest-growing horse adventure game in the world – Star Stable Online. With over 21 million registered users, across 180 countries, and supported in 14 languages they aim to provide an expanding gaming and entertainment platform that fosters social connections, adventures, and creativity for an underserved community of gamers.

Cecilia’s department consists of four teams, they aim to not only ensure the safety of their users but also look after translations and localisation as well as community moderation. Cecilia’s role within Star Stable consists of growth and scaling into a multi-product organisation as well as creating a safe environment in the ever-changing world of online gaming.

Cecilia started her career in the online gambling and gaming industry, focussing mainly on the customer’s journey and engagement. However, her passion to work with a product that she loves took her to Star Stable where she was also able to focus on safety and compliance for the young users of the game.

Cecilia talks about the gender gap within her industry and how she deals with hidden sexism and/or disrespect from some of her male counterparts stating that it’s important to know how to maintain professionalism but also stand up for yourself when it’s needed. She explains that it can be very difficult for herself and other females in her industry to feel inspired as there are so few female leaders and boardroom members. However, Cecilia explains that she works towards viewing success in all its different forms and looks to the women around her, such as friends and family, as examples of women succeeding in lots of different ways around her and uses this to keep her inspired and motivated. 

Cecilia discusses how leadership tactics are changing as a result of the influence of women in the workplace, with a more diverse range of values seen as desirable. She believes that leadership should include being able to give meaningful and honest feedback in order to help your team grow. Cecilia also discusses how important being social is to grow strong team bonds and create the right type of environment for people to do their best as well as contribute when necessary. 

Throughout our conversation, it was apparent that player safety is what drives Cecilia and the entire team at Star Stable, especially as many of their users are young teenage girls. Cecilia explains how Star Stable aims to guide players to be kind to other users on their platform and is aware of how impressionable their younger players can be – the aim to help them grow in a safe space. As well as this, Cecilia discusses inclusion and diversity for all users and how this goes hand in hand with safety. 

Throughout the conversation, Cecilia provides great insights for those in her industry, however when asked what advice she would give to someone starting out she stresses how important it is to be open and flexible. Cecilia explains how fast-paced her job can be but insists that changes shouldn’t be seen as negatives but instead embraced. As well as this, Cecilia says that you must learn to say no as you need to leave at least 10% of your maximum capacity for passion products- this will not only help you stand out but also give you room to grow.

To hear more of Cecilia’s insights, advice and predictions for the future of the gaming industry, check out the full interview below.