Since 2019, we have been offering free Danish lessons to all Tactilers coming from outside of Denmark. We are proud to have our amazing Danish teacher, Anja, on board for the past 6 years. She has so far taken over 150 Tactilers on the Danish language and culture learning journey!

In honor of the International Day of Education, which is recognized by the UN on the 24th January, we chatted to Anja about why we teach Danish at Tactile and why learning the local language and culture of the country you live in is so important.

Meet Anja, our Danish teacher 👋

👋🏻 Hi Anja, what led you to a career in education, and why did you pick teaching Danish as a second language?

Anja: From quite early on, I took an interest in languages and communication. Years back, I worked as a volunteer in a language café and that’s where I had my first teaching experiences. It was quite inspiring to meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds and one thing in common – they were all learning Danish. My experiences at the language café made me curious and I wanted to get into language teaching more, so I decided to do my master’s degree in Danish as a Second and Foreign Language. I also started working at a language center at the University of Copenhagen.

Not only have I learned a lot about passing on information in different ways and about people from all over the world, but I have also learned about my own country and language from all the wonderful questions I’ve had from students over the years.

💡 Why do you think learning the local language of the country you live in is so important?

Anja: I believe that in order to understand certain aspects of a culture, you also need to acquire the local language. And luckily, there’s so much more to language learning than just vocabulary and grammar. The learning process sheds a lot of light on to things like common courtesy, politeness, hospitality and how to act in social situations.

You don’t have to be fluent or a grammar enthusiast. A beginner might feel proud when starting to use phrases like “thank you” or “have a nice day”, and it might even put a smile on someone’s face. A more advanced learner might feel accomplishment when finally understanding something on the news or when hearing locals talk and understanding what they’re saying.

💪 Why do we offer Danish lessons at Tactile?

Anja: Learning a language is a long and often rough journey, so it’s important to have proper guidance. It’s also important to celebrate the small steps and wins along the way. We offer classes in-house to support our colleagues that have moved to Denmark to start a new life, knowing that there’s a lot to juggle and get used to.

Our small groups and long courses offer an option to engage with curiosity over time in an environment where there’s always time to be heard and included. Other than that, it’s also an opportunity for people to meet across teams that maybe wouldn’t meet otherwise.

📚 How did you approach setting up a Danish language programme at Tactile?

Anja: The first and most basic thing I had to do back in 2019 was a needs analysis. This included sending out questionnaires, talking to people and asking them about what they wanted or needed to learn, what they were curious about and considered to be fun and interesting. The interest was big and in the fall of 2019, we kicked off 7 courses. Later on, in 2021, we started a cooperation with a language school here in Copenhagen which enables us to offer courses similar to module 1 and 2 (the official Danish Language Education Programme). After module 2, we now offer supplementary courses, for instance to train conversation skills or to support people preparing for exams, including the Danish citizenship exam.

👩‍🏫 How do you adapt your teaching style to different students?

Anja: We start new courses twice a year and it’s the same procedure and the same puzzle every time, but it always adds up. In general, it always includes assessing the level of a student (to be) compared to the time they can invest in the learning process, people’s availability etc. This is to make sure that we have some realistic goals within the frames of what we can offer. 

In every single classroom, it’s important to detect the things that capture people’s attention and through that maintain their motivation and drive for learning, no matter the level or the goal.

😎 What are the most useful words or phrases to know as a foreigner in Denmark?

Mange tak / tusind tak (Many thank yous / A thousand thank yous) – Since we don’t have an equivalent to “please”, we hand out quite a lot of thank yous.

God weekend [ˈgoˀ viːˌgεnˀd] (Have a good weekend!) – The Danes are not telling you to go vegan, but just wishing you a very good weekend! And we do value a good work-life balance ⚖️

Skål (Cheers!) – Comes in handy at any party or social event, we need this word in all the languages 🍻

Velbekomme (Bon appetit or you’re welcome) – When you see someone eating, you can wish them ‘may it serve you well / may it come well to you’ 🍽️ Or, you use it to say “you’re welcome”.

Det var så lidt (That was so little / That was nothing / No biggie!) – This is very cultural. Instead of saying you’re welcome, you can use this phrase to underline that it wasn’t any trouble to help at all.

Nå (Well / Oh / So / Really etc.) – Danes use this a lot and in many different situations, for example when you’ve just realized something, or when you meet a cute dog, or when you’re showing interest, or even when you’re making a threat. You could do a whole study on variations of this tiny word 😄

Hvordan går det? (How are you? / How’s it going?) – It is a common misconception that this is just a greeting, but Danes actually see it as a proper question and will gladly answer the question or wait for you to do so.

Hyggelig (Cozy / Pleasant / Homely) – A big part of Danish culture is this feeling of coziness and warmth. Hyggelig is therefore used a lot and to describe anything or any situation that makes you feel this way – cozy, welcome, warm & good! ❤️

Fun fact, the Danish word for ‘scary’ is actually uhyggelig. Basically, anything that is not perceived as cozy, pleasant or homely is straight up scary 😂

Welcome, Lizelle!

We are proud to announce that Lizelle Van Schouwenburg has joined Tactile’s leadership team as our Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Originally from South Africa, Lizelle brings with her almost 2 decades of experience in product finance, cost optimization and analytics, along with a strong focus on strategic business planning and scalability.

Welcome, Lizelle! 👋

“Lizelle’s financial expertise and strategic mindset will be instrumental as we plan and scale the business. She will play a key role in strengthening our financial foundation and supporting Tactile’s next phase of growth. I look forward to partnering closely with Lizelle,” says Tactile CEO and co-founder, Asbjoern Soendergaard.

“I am thrilled to join such a talented and passionate team at Tactile and to dive into an industry that is as vibrant as it is complex,” says Lizelle. “While gaming is a new frontier for me, I am eager to learn the mechanics of this ever-evolving landscape during such a transformative time. I look forward to contributing my experience in strategic finance and process optimization, ensuring we have the structure and insight needed to support our amazing portfolio of games.”

Lizelle brings with her strong experience from a vast variety of industries and businesses. With a bachelor’s in Accounting and a master’s degree in Finance (Operations, Performance & Strategy Management), in 2019, she decided to relocate with her family to Copenhagen to pursue a full-time MBA, focusing on leadership and business acumen. Interestingly, this was not her first time in Copenhagen. She lived here for a year in 2010 when her husband was pursuing his MBA. Even though they moved back home after graduation, the city stayed with her and she always wanted to come back.

We asked Lizelle to share a fun-fact about herself: “I’m a total sports enthusiast who loves the energy of a game, whether I’m participating or cheering loudly, especially for the South African rugby and cricket teams!! Last year I decided to broaden my own horizons by joining a tennis club for the first time—turns out, you are never too old to learn something new!“

Lizelle, we’re so happy to have you join our Tactile team! We’re excited about the times ahead.

It’s Time for Talent – with Alex Marques

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

I joined Tactile in September 2025 as a Lead Data Analyst. My role is to help drive analytics across Lily’s Garden, our main title, by providing data-driven insights that support better product decisions. Together with the Analytics team, I work closely with Product to grow our games whilst making sure player experience remains at the heart of every change. I’m also involved in pushing forward strategic initiatives, such as the implementation of our new BI tool.

Meet Alex, our Lead Data Analyst 👋
🚀 Before Tactile

My career path hasn’t been a linear one, which honestly makes it more fun! I’ve always enjoyed math and problem-solving, which led me to study Applied Mathematics, followed by a Master’s in Finance driven by an early interest in investments. From there, I moved into consulting, partly influenced by the career paths of friends and colleagues at the time.

It quickly became clear that consulting wasn’t for me, and I decided to try something new. That decision led me into a more analytics-focused role, where I developed the skills that shaped my next career steps. When I came across a role at Miniclip, I knew I had to apply. Having spent much of my teenage years playing PC and PlayStation games (mostly sports games), joining the gaming industry felt natural. I spent five years there learning everything I know today about the industry.

💜 Joining Tactile

I joined Tactile at a point in my career where I felt ready for a new challenge and wanted to see how things were done elsewhere.

Tactile ticked all the boxes: a great company, inspiring people, exciting games, and an opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the match-3 genre. Since joining, I’ve found the environment just as dynamic and collaborative as I hoped for and it continues to evolve in exciting ways.

💪 Having an impact

Our Analytics team helps to uncover trends and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed – we’re essentially the detectives of the company. Using tools like SQL, R, or Python, we dive deep into data to find answers and guide decisions.

That said, improving our games is very much a team effort. We collaborate closely with Product Managers, Level Designers, Live Ops Managers, Developers, and many others. A key part of our work involves A/B testing, allowing us to experiment, learn, and continuously improve the player experience.

The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that our work directly impacts how people have fun. Tactile’s flat organisational structure also makes a huge difference – being able to regularly discuss ideas with founders is both rare and incredibly educational.

📚 The keys to success

Breaking into the industry feels tougher than ever, and finding great talent is equally challenging. My advice is to:

Careers don’t have to follow a straight line to be successful. Exploring different paths, learning from what doesn’t work, and staying curious can lead you to opportunities you never expected.