In the first installation of this exciting series, Meet the Kindred Team, we sit down with our Senior Gaming Partnerships Manager, Yipei Huang, to delve into her role and mission at Kindred. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by mobile gaming companies, Yipei is well-positioned to drive revenue and success for our gaming partners. In this insightful interview, Yipei shares her approach to partnerships, her vision for the future of Kindred and the best career advice she’s ever received!
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Tell us about your career path prior to joining Kindred:
I joined Kindred after completing my Master's in Social and Public Communication. My previous job and internship experiences were primarily focused on marketing, communication, and PR, which I found enjoyable due to my love for interacting with people. This made it both a logical and surprising choice for me to start at Kindred as an Account Executive. Although I wasn't familiar with the mobile gaming industry at the beginning, I found myself fascinated by it after joining the company. I was excited to learn about this expanding and captivating industry.
Meanwhile, something I learned from previous experience greatly helped me take on my current role. That is to communicate. Listen to the pain points of your clients and help them. Communicate throughout the way and make your partnership a mutually beneficial bond.
What is your role at Kindred?
I’m a Senior Partnership Manager focusing on the gaming side. My role involves working with game developers, publishers, advertisers, platform owners, and other stakeholders to create partnerships that drive growth and revenue for their games or companies. This may include negotiating and managing integration deals, collaborating on co-marketing campaigns, and finding other innovative ways to drive value for all parties involved.
To break it down, it may involve identifying potential partners, negotiating and securing agreements, and managing ongoing relationships to ensure that both parties are receiving maximum value from the partnership.
What do you love the most about what you do?
As a Partnerships Manager at Kindred, I am passionate about helping game developers and publishers solve their challenges. Last year, the mobile gaming industry faced a revenue decline of approximately 4.3% due to factors such as changing player behaviour, higher cost per install (CPI), and changes to the IDFA. Kindred's new monetization solution was introduced at the perfect time, as it not only helped to bridge the decrease in revenue, but also provided a new revenue stream for our partners. I find it exciting to pitch our solution to potential partners and introduce this innovative idea to a wider audience.
I am also grateful for the opportunities to grow and improve alongside our partners. Feedback from our partners and industry friends about the potential for Kindred's solution to improve is always appreciated, and I believe that adaptability and constant improvement are essential in such a fast-changing industry.
How do you achieve success in your role?
I’d say a combination of teamwork, taking initiative, and always thinking of our partners.
Teamwork is crucial in ensuring that we are able to deliver the best possible results for our partners. Kindred is not a massive company; hence we have very close contact with each other which I really appreciate. We share ideas and resources, leveraging each other's strengths to create strong partnerships. Especially I'm grateful for my gaming team, Holly and Kate. We’re a dream team😊
Taking initiative is also a key part of my approach. I understand that success often requires taking risks and being proactive in seeking out new opportunities. I am always looking for ways to improve our partnerships and drive value for our partners, and I am not afraid to take action to make those improvements a reality.
Finally, always thinking of our partners is at the forefront of my mind. I understand that our partners' success is ultimately our success, and I strive to put their needs first in all of my actions. This means being responsive to their needs, seeking out their feedback, and working to create win-win solutions that drive mutual benefits.
Office or WFH – and why?
Hybrid! I will not be cynical and act against the whole WFH thing. Let’s be honest – it’s such a great invention. I enjoy the increased flexibility especially as my role is not rigidly dependent on routine work so I could better leverage my time to maximize productivity. Second, it comes with a better work-life balance as we get rid of commuting costs, both time and money, and gain more flexibility in retaining a healthy personal life like going to the gym!
On the other side, I believe working in person with teammates cannot be neglected. This is such an important part because for me work is not only about performance, but also about happiness. I need to interact with colleagues in person to foster a sense of community. That completes the sense of accomplishment for me as an employee and also a human being.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The best career advice I've received is to pursue a job that brings a sense of accomplishment. I find this to be true in my current role as a Partnerships Manager at Kindred, where I help solve game developers' pain points and provide new monetization solutions. This work brings me fulfilment, and satisfaction, and drives my motivation. Pursuing a job that brings a sense of accomplishment leads to greater job satisfaction and overall happiness.
Tell us a surprising fun fact about you:
Nothing exciting but while I speak Chinese and English, for Chinese specifically, I speak Mandarin and other two dialects, which are hard to understand across regions. So, I assume I’ll take on slightly different personas while speaking different languages.
How can mobile gaming developers and publishers find out how to work with Kindred to drive their revenue?
If you're a mobile gaming developer or publisher, I'd love to speak to you about our gaming partnerships. Email me at yipei@kindredteam.com or visit this web page. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with new gaming partnership announcements and the amazing work our team and partners are doing!
