Meet

Sandra
Mondahl

HR Manager
Malmö

Quick Questions

PC or console

I love my Switch but grew up playing The Sims on my PC!

Go-to karaoke song

“Toxic” by Britney Spears.

Favorite Hitman map and why

Dartmoor because it has this beautifully captured murder mystery about it. Plus, who doesn’t love a grand mansion and a story of family intrigue?

Meal that reminds you of childhood

Chicken, rice, and gravy – I’d beg my parents to make it for me weekly. Granted, it was more gravy than anything else. 

Your secret superpower?

I’m lucky-unlucky. Quite accident-prone, but somehow, I always get out with minimal injury considering the accident. 

Most and least favorite items on your desk

My favorite item is my little “Hoptimist which always makes me happy with his bouncy attitude. My least favorite would be my two dirty breakfast plates…

Something you wish you knew more about

I wish I knew more about photography. I’ve always loved being behind the camera and capturing the moment, but I’ve never learnt why the shots were good or how to improve them.

Recommend three books, games or movies

Three games:
1. Ori and The Blind Forest 
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 
3. Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 from 2002

Deeper Questions

What do you do at IOI?

I’ve been working as the HR Manager for our studio in Sweden since we opened in 2019 and were only 5. Now we’re 70+! During my time, the over-arching focus has been people and culture strategies and setting up the studio with support from Copenhagen. I have a hand everything from recruitment, onboarding, promotions, local branding, law, performance, facilities in collaboration with management, HR, and office teams as well as I have a tight relationship with the producers and leads on the projects to make sure we work together to build an attractive studio. 

Can you tell us more about yourself?

When I was a kid my teacher told me I was a “Duracell Bunny”, which refers to something that just never run out of energy. I love doing things and cannot sit still (physically or mentally) for very long. I believe this has brought me to where I am today; always looking for areas to improve at work, on a plane travelling to strange places to go on more hikes or working on taking some artsy photos for the photo album I’ve yet to start. It’s a never-ending cycle of ideas and initiatives from me, which I understand can be challenging for the people around me – but hey, it’s never boring! (:  

What's your daily source of inspiration?

I get so inspired by seeing the amazing output the people around me have and how they pool their creativity together to create memorable and unique moments for our players. That inspires me to push my own limits and see how I can support them in reaching new heights. I’m surrounded by the most amazing developers, both within their craft and as people and I’m just in awe of how they can deliver these amazing worlds for us to enjoy. 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I love making a difference for people and improving their quality of life. I thrive on solving problems and empowering people to do the same, and if an idea I had can contribute to a positive difference for someone – my day is made.

What projects do you work on outside of work?

If I can label myself as a project, then that would be my answer (: I grew up being very active, I did gymnastics and dancing for the greater part of my life; both teaching and travelling around the world with my team for performances. Nowadays it’s about the mental space a workout gives me and how it contributes to my overall wellbeing. I always strive to improve myself, both physically and mentally – but it’s a never-ending project. Next phase is to drink more water!  

What's your most memorable IOI moment?

Being one of three finalists at the Annual Business Gala for the municipality in Malmö 2022 (Malmö Näringslivsgala) in the category of “Greater Copenhagen Business Award”. We were nominated based on our cross-border collaboration between Copenhagen and Malmö, within a mere three years of opening our studio here. I remember when Martin, our COO, told me that we were nominated, and then we became finalists, and now we have this beautiful award in our studio to always remind us that we’re excellent at collaborating and getting amazing results regardless of our location. Even better was that we attended the gala along with representatives from our local games industry (and it’s pretty big!) and we were all celebrated as Ambassador of the Year. A huge moment for all of us to congratulate each other on our hard work as an industry. It makes me teary-eyed just writing this.  

What's the best bit of advice you've ever been given?

The 80/20 principle. 80% of the results come from 20% of the work if you utilize your skillset right. The last 20% come from 80% of the work. Be smart on how you spend your time and delegate the last 20%. 

Want to work with Sandra?

Check out the many exciting career opportunities at IO Interactive.
Meet more Ionians
Looking for a new challenge in Copenhagen, Malmo or Barcelona? We're hiring for exciting new projects. Join The Team