Time for Talent – With Mads Brandt

Hi, my name is Mads, it’s nice to meet you! 👋

Meet Mads 👋

I joined Tactile in May 2025 as a Frontend Engineer on the Core team.

The Core team plays a big supporting role across Tactile. We build and maintain the internal tools that keep everything running smoothly – from dashboards for the Data and Marketing teams to build systems and LiveOps tools. Our work connects so many parts of the company, and I love that what we build behind the scenes has such a wide impact across Tactile.

I also work closely with the other frontend engineers and product designers on cross-team projects like our internal design system, where we focus on creating a cohesive and consistent user experience across all our internal tools.

🚀 Before Tactile

It wasn’t exactly a straight line to becoming a developer for me. I’ve always been good with computers, but I actually started out studying marketing – which luckily turned out not to be for me, so I dropped out. After a few years of working in a supermarket, I decided to follow my curiosity for tech and applied for Computer Science.

That’s where I really found my passion for software development. Most of our classes were in Java, but I was always more drawn towards JavaScript and React, crafting frontends that not just functioned, but felt great to use. During an assignment on one of the first semesters we had to build frontends using static Java Server Pages (JSP). I couldn’t help experimenting a bit, so I figured out how to inject jQuery into them to make the pages dynamic.

While studying, I joined an InsurTech consulting company as a student developer and later continued there full-time as a backend Java consultant with a little bit of frontend. Over the next three years, I transitioned from the backend to solely frontend development, eventually becoming the Frontend Lead.

By early 2025, I was ready for something different – something bigger, more creative, and with more focus on how we build things and doing it the right way. I wanted to work with more frontend engineers to learn from and spar with, and a culture where taking the time to do things properly isn’t seen as a luxury but as part of the job. That’s when I found Tactile.

Mads with his team 🧠
💜 Joining Tactile

When I joined Tactile, it was quite a change. I went from a company of around 40 people to one with more than 350 – over 200 in Copenhagen alone, and representing more than 50 nationalities. It’s almost rare to be a Dane here, and even rarer to be born and raised in Copenhagen like me. I love that, though – it gives the office such an international, inspiring energy with talents from all over the world.

Tactile doesn’t just hire for skills – we hire for culture fit, and we really mean it. We even have a culture book. From day one, everyone – not just my own team, but people on my floor and even across the whole building – has been incredibly welcoming. It really rubs off on you and creates an atmosphere where you actually want to collaborate, ask questions, and help each other improve.

The learning curve has been (and still is!) a bit steep when diving into data science related topics like dimensions, measures, aggregators, granularities, and data marts – but it’s incredibly rewarding to see how our frontend tools can help make that complexity more approachable.

💪 Having an impact

Within Core, we have different sub-teams. I am on the Data and Marketing team focusing on tools for these two teams.

My main gig is a major redesign of our Data Dashboard – the tool which our analysts use to reveal insights into player behavior across our games, and make data driven decisions. The original dashboard was developed years ago, mainly by backend engineers, and most frontend work since then has focused on the LiveOps Dashboard – so the Data Dashboard was definitely ready for some love

Before I joined, our product designers had created a completely new design that makes the process easier to follow and aligns with the LiveOps dashboard — and my job has been to bring that design to life.

Even though I work closely with the other frontend engineers on shared systems, code reviews etc. the Data Dashboard has become my project in a way. I really enjoy that sense of ownership, especially when I see how it can help others. Tactile is an extremely data-driven company, so it’s rewarding to know that the tools I build play a part in the insights that shape our games. But honestly? The best part is working with people who care as much about doing things well as getting them done.

📚 The keys to success

Hmm, stay curious and keep building things, even small projects. The best way to learn is by experimenting, breaking stuff (yes, we all make bugs!), and figuring out why it broke.

Don’t get too hung up on using the “perfect” tech stack or chasing every new trend. No codebase is perfect. There’s always legacy code, trade-offs, and things you’d love to refactor. At Tactile, we focus on improving things gradually; upgrading, cleaning up, and maintaining while still moving forward. You simply cannot be on the cutting edge all the time, especially in frontend, where sometimes it seems that what’s “in” last week might be deprecated today. What matters is writing solid, maintainable, clean code and keeping a steady pace of improvement.

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of communication. Writing good code is one thing, but explaining your ideas clearly, arguing for your choices, and collaborating with others is just as valuable – at Tactile, this matters just as much as your technical skills. The people who grow fastest are often those who ask questions and aren’t afraid to admit when they don’t know something. Find a place where that’s celebrated – it makes all the difference.

It’s Time for Talent – with Anna Diekelmann

Hi, my name is Anna, it’s nice to e-meet you! 👋

I joined Tactile in the spring of 2023 as a People Partner. My role here has two major focuses: I support our team leads, acting as a coach and partner on all people-related matters, and then I also spend a great deal of time designing new initiatives and processes that shape how we onboard, develop, and support our people.

Meet Anna, our People Partner 👋

🚀 Before Tactile

I’ve always wavered between pursuing a career in marketing or HR – both wanting to work creatively while also being driven by a wish to make workplaces a more meaningful place (after all, we do spend ⅓ of our lives here).

When I joined Tactile, I was brand new to the gaming industry. Coming from a similar role in an e-commerce company in the knitting industry 🧶I had a LOT to learn about games (to be honest, I still do).

But whether it’s within knitting or games, I’ve found that I really thrive in creative companies with a lot of freedom and little hierarchy – where things never stay the same for long, and where we have room to be playful and a little nerdy with what we do.

And in that sense, I think I found the perfect sweet spot between marketing and HR 🤝

💜 Joining Tactile

I joined Tactile right after the big growth phase following the success of Lily’s Garden. At that point, a lot of people had joined, and our team had the big task of helping Tactile transition from being very start-up-like into a more established company. That meant putting more structure in place around onboarding, development talks and leadership development. At the same time, it was really important to us not to lose the special ingredients in our culture: the flat and organic structure and the freedom to take ownership.

A lot has happened in the last 2 years. It’s been great to follow how our team leads have grown as leaders, see how projects like Tactile Bootcamp have helped build a bridge between the old and the new culture, and how we continue to learn and evolve as an organisation.

💪 Having an impact

I’m really grateful for the amount of trust and freedom our team has to decide how we work. There is a lot of room for new initiatives, and there is often a short timeline from when we come up with a new idea to when we start executing, which just makes work more fun and dynamic.

With agile and lean being at the core of our culture, it also allows us to never get stuck in old ways. We always ask ourselves, “Does this actually provide value?”, so we don’t end up adding processes just for the sake of processes. When we do develop new processes, we have a “no size fits all” approach, meaning we tailor everything to the individual teams. It forces us to stay flexible and constantly iterate and optimize how we do things, and I find that so rewarding.

Looking back, I’m really proud of all the things we have built that have made an actual impact for our teams – I feel that is kind of rare in an HR position.

📚 The keys to success

With fear of it sounding too buzzword-y, I want to say adopt a growth mindset. This industry is moving fast and things change all the time, which is fun and refreshing but it can also feel overwhelming at times. Be ready to adapt and lean into the chaos. And don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions – it’s the best way to learn.

Written by our People team – Sarah and Anna, who are running the Bootcamp project 🙌

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we first launched the Tactile Bootcamp! An idea that had been in the works for over a year before finally coming to life in August 2024.

What started as a bold experiment has now evolved into a core part of the Tactile experience. Over the past year, around 140 Tactilers have gone through the program, and we’re proud to see how it continues to make an impact long after the Bootcamp itself ends.

Why we started the Bootcamp

When we (Sarah and Anna) first joined the Talent & Culture team here at Tactile, one of the initial tasks was to interview Tactilers across the Copenhagen office.

A recurring theme quickly emerged: as the company grew, many felt a growing sense of disconnect between new and seasoned team members. At the same time, we were working on improving the onboarding experience for new joiners.

That’s when the idea clicked! Why not combine these two needs? What if we could design an experience that not only welcomed new team members but also fostered connection, collaboration, and shared learning across the organization?

And so, the Bootcamp concept was born.

Not just another team-building event

At Tactile, we value a flat structure, no rigid hierarchies, and teams empowered to execute on vision and strategy. Our culture thrives on people being self-driven, curious, and ready to see opportunities instead of challenges.

With that in mind, we didn’t want the Bootcamp to be just another fun night out with dinner and activities. Instead, we envisioned a transformative learning experience. 

The result? A Bootcamp that combines practical learning modules, strong human connection and personal growth – culminating in an outdoor adventure tying it all together.

How participants are chosen

To make the Bootcamp experience as impactful as possible, we designed the groups to be:

This intentional mix ensures that every Bootcamp cohort mirrors the rich diversity of Tactile itself.

What the Bootcamp includes

The Bootcamp is built around three core pillars that drive success for individuals and teams at Tactile:

These modules are paired with engaging activities:

This approach transforms the Bootcamp from “just another team-building event” into a practical, memorable experience that equips Tactilers with tools they can apply every day.

Measuring success

When we launched the first Bootcamp, we knew it would take time to see results. People were excited, but also a little unsure about what to expect.

Fast forward a year, and the impact is clear:

Ultimately, the Bootcamp delivers on the three goals we set out to achieve:

  1. A stellar onboarding experience
  2. A bridge between new and seasoned Tactilers
  3. A relevant, practical learning journey for everyone

Words from the “Troopers”

“I really appreciated being outdoors, it added a refreshing dimension to the experience. More specifically, what stood out to me was the time we spent upfront discussing team dynamics before diving into the exercises. Those initial conversations provided clarity on where to focus our efforts and what behaviors or patterns to observe during the missions. I also enjoyed that the exercises allowed for multiple approaches to problem-solving. Each team could choose a different path, which made the planning and execution vary significantly. This diversity created a great opportunity to observe and reflect on different teamwork strategies and ways of thinking.”

“The mix of different missions that required different skills, and had different levels of making you feel a bit uncomfortable. all of this really helped to bring together the team and go through the norming, forming and storming stages relatively quickly.“

“The highlight for me was seeing how different personalities and approaches came together to solve challenges in real-time. It was insightful to observe how each team member contributed in their own way, and how collaboration evolved as we progressed through the activities. I think this was enabled by how well the teams were structured. It was clear that thought went into avoiding overlaps in workplace hierarchy, which really helped level the playing field. When people aren’t placed in their usual roles, especially where one might typically have authority over another, it encourages more open collaboration and honest contributions. That setup made it easier for everyone to engage as equals, and I think it brought out a more genuine team dynamic.”

“I loved spending time with new people from the company, not only for the social aspect but also to work together and solve challenges. It was interesting to see how we connected and focused on the important part, specially having fun.“

Until next time, Troopers! 🏕️