Navigating Milestones with our Head of People Development, Tom Bromwich

Welcome back to another episode of Kwalee Gaming. After our last episode where we interviewed William Cox, this round, we are sitting down with Tom Bromwich, Head of People Development here at Kwalee. Join us as we find out about Tom’s past careers, discovering the experiences and milestones that have led him to his current role.

So Tom, why people? Why work so closely with others and support other people? 

It's a good question. I just like people, I like working with people and being around people! I'm fascinated by how everyone is completely different. And there was one point in my career, I recognised that I just liked talking to people. I like trying to figure out what makes them tick. I like helping or trying to help them think a bit differently. I'm not saying that I'm good at it, but I'm just fascinated by what brings people joy, and what brings people happiness. I like helping people or feeling like I've made a difference.

What has helped you the most grow within your career or personal life?

I think from a professional and a personal point of view, I think there are similarities. Who I am here is the person that I am at home. From a career point of view, I've had some great opportunities with some fantastic people that have pointed me in the right direction or given me words of wisdom that really made me realise actually,  I probably should look at things differently. And also I've done some pretty bad stuff when it comes to management and leadership where I’ve gone and followed suit. You begin to think to yourself, because they did that, I'm going to copy and do that too. I’ve quickly realised that sometimes it’s not always the right way to do it. So it took me a few tries to go, actually, I probably should do what I think is right. 

Tell us more about the games you play or used to play in the past?

So growing up I had my PlayStation, I think it was a Sega Mega Drive that was my first game console, and now I play Xbox and Nintendo Switch. A lot of my teenage years were Pro Evolution, FIFA. Pro Evolution, Championship Manager, which was always the better one. I also played a lot of Grand Theft Auto, I’m very excited for the new one to come out. 

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Your first job was at Santander, how did that happen?

Back then I didn’t have a destined career path, I didn’t know what career I wanted to pursue, so when I came out of school, I didn't know what I wanted to do. And then Santander was near where I lived, within walking distance, so it all fell into place! I worked in their ‘doc store’. So one of my first jobs was to collect housing documents, I must have then impressed the company to go from collecting documents and scanning them to then putting me on the phones, talking to people about their mortgages! However, eventually, I was like, I'm not into this. This is not for me. I need to get out of this. 

What was the key moment for you that you wanted to go into learning and development? 

It’s a funny one really, so my mum worked in the retail chain Next for many years. So I began on a Christmas temporary contract working on deliveries and I worked my way up to a management position. I had no idea about working in Learning and Development until I was approached and asked ‘Do you want to help us train colleagues here?’ At first, I wasn’t too sure, but I began to enjoy it. I didn't know that this could be a career! So I progressed into their Learning and Development team, and that's where they understood my creativity. Not only was it great to be a part of the creation of resources and documentation, but I started to see people grow and learn. I soon realised this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

So why Kwalee? What made you want to join the games industry? 

It was initiated all through our VP of HR, Adrian Garton, as we had worked together previously. He saw this job vacancy come up and approached me to say how I would be very suited for the role. It was a difficult choice to leave my current employment at the time, as at that point I was really happy in my job, but as I started to uncover more about Kwalee, all the boxes were being ticked. From realising that my favourite mobile games ‘Draw It’ and ‘Jetpack Jump’ were from this company, and how they wanted to push growth internally, it made me realise Kwalee was the place I wanted to be. 

You’ve been at Kwalee now for six months, have there been any highlights for you so far? 

To begin with, I had the ‘new school fear’, feeling worried all the time that I wouldn’t fit in. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Very early on I was accepted, my voice was heard, my ideas were taken on board and already I feel like I am making a huge difference in Kwalee. It’s very clear that Kwalee wants to grow its team members, and I’m very excited to be a part of this journey. 

What are the goals for the future being Head of Development?

We are very keen to set up ‘career pathways’ for our team members here at Kwalee, ensuring that everyone can develop skills and be given opportunities to progress in their individual careers, and I’m very excited to watch people grow in their personal success.  

And finally, if you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self? 

Listen to people, like really listen to people. I've met some amazing people on the way. There are too many to name that have made a real difference. There have been many times in my career where I've not listened to them, so if I was good to go back, I would just listen more because I think I could have taken in way more than I did. But also, if there's a second thing, just keep giving that go and keep plugging away! 

What job did Tom stick out for just two weeks? What hairstyle did he rock, and what did he get up to in Ibiza? To answer all these questions and more, make sure to catch the full video. And if you're inspired by the exciting world of Kwalee, why not explore the opportunities we have waiting for you?