Background
Keywords Studios is a leading global provider of creative and technology-enabled services for the video games and entertainment industries, supporting more than 950 clients worldwide across art, engineering, audio, testing, localisation, marketing and player support. In October 2024, the business was acquired by EQT and CPP Investments, who are accelerating the organisation’s growth and transformation journey.
The brief
Following the acquisition of Keywords by EQT and CPP, strengthening cybersecurity became a top priority for the new investors. They wanted to consolidate many studios of different scale and create a group-wide security strategy going forward.
Keywords Studios quickly retained La Fosse Executive to advise on and find their first ever Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The role required someone with international experience and a track record leading fast-paced transformation in Private Equity settings. Someone capable of creating end-to-end cybersecurity strategy, maturing governance practices, and driving uplift across a distributed, multi-service global organisation.
Solution
By leveraging our pan-European cybersecurity leadership network and conducting targeted research, the team identified Paul Watts – a senior security leader with extensive experience spanning consumer-centric and business services industries. Paul brings a strong track record of shaping and delivering cybersecurity strategy at pace in PE-backed organisations, building enterprise-wide risk management frameworks, and working with complex and diverse stakeholder environments which was directly aligned with Keywords’ needs.
Result
Paul Watts started the role in September 2025 and has been making significant progress on their cybersecurity agenda since then. This has included reviewing existing processes and systems, creating a new group-wide strategy and beginning execution to prepare Keywords for their next stage of growth.
La Fosse has subsequently partnered with Keywords on multiple additional roles across their technology and leadership teams, expanding their partnership further.
