Digital Chocolate grows with two executive hires

Newsbrief: Mobile and social game developer Digital Chocolate has hired two veterans from Nokia and Habbo Hotel developer Sulake, as it promotes several other executives and grows its studios. Nokia Connect's former Program Management Execution Office head Kaj Haggman will join Digital Chocolate's Helskini studio as its new general manager. Sulake's former User and Market Insight director Emmi Kuusikko will join the same office as Product Management VP. The Helsinki branch, which was responsible for launching Facebook games like Zombie Lane and Army Attack, also made two promotions: Marko Lastikka will serve as the vice president of Production, while Miikka Kukkosuo will become vice president of Regional Sales. Digital Chocolate promoted a number of executives at its San Mateo, California headquarters, too: Edmund Chui is now Platform Engineering VP, Jerome Colin is now Product Management VP, and Sean Dornan-Fish is now Game Design VP. Furthermore, the firm will expand its branches in Barcelona (developer of recently launched Galaxy Life), Seattle, and St. Petersburg, Russia, and Seattle -- this growth plan is funded by the $12 million Digital Chocolate raised last February, and two recently added financial credit lines.