Fun Facts about Helen Chiang
Where do you live?
Kirkland
Did you grow up in the Pacific Northwest area?
No
What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve received?
To always surround yourself with people smarter than you, and to make yourself replaceable.
What is your favorite hobby/hobbies?
Tennis, skiing and exploring new parts of the world.
What is your favorite place in the world?
New Zealand
Do you have any interesting or little-known facts about yourself?
I once ran the Boston Marathon next to Will Ferrell. And beat him 😊
Favorite TV show?
American Ninja Warrior
If you could eat one thing the rest of your life what would it be?
Sushi
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I am proud of the work we are doing to use Minecraft as a platform to build a better world.
Where can we find you on the weekends?
Exploring the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two daughters.
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About Helen Chiang
Helen Chiang is the head of Minecraft, where she is responsible for driving and implementing growth plans for one of the most popular video games of all time. Prior to leading the studio, Helen held the roles of General Manager and Senior Director of Strategy and Business at Minecraft, helping navigate the team through the Microsoft acquisition of Mojang and numerous updates, events and releases to the franchise over the last four years.
As a longtime Xbox veteran, Helen has been a key contributor to many aspects of the Xbox business. In her previous position as Chief of Staff for the Microsoft Studios group, Helen managed Studios business operations and communications for a geographically diverse organization of 1,000 people across three locations – Redmond, Vancouver, and London. Microsoft Studios is known for blockbuster franchises such as “Halo”, “Gears of War”, “Kinect Sports”, “Fable”, “Age of Empires”, and “Forza Motorsport”.
Prior to joining Microsoft Studios, Helen managed the Xbox LIVE subscriptions business where she was responsible for driving and implementing strategy and growth plans and was accountable for a $500M business. Under her business leadership, the subscriber base more than doubled in size and created the foundation for what Xbox LIVE is today – a world class online entertainment service with 40+ million worldwide members.
Prior to her nine years with Xbox, Helen managed the Streets & Trips software business where she was responsible for product management and product marketing.
Helen holds a dual bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and computer science from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Helen enjoys taking on new athletic challenges and has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, ran the Boston marathon alongside Will Ferrell, and climbed Mt. Rainier for charity. She lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and two daughters, with whom she plays Minecraft in creative mode
About Helen Chiang
As a longtime Xbox veteran, Helen has been a key contributor to many aspects of the Xbox business. In her previous position as Chief of Staff for the Microsoft Studios group, Helen managed Studios business operations and communications for a geographically diverse organization of 1,000 people across three locations – Redmond, Vancouver, and London. Microsoft Studios is known for blockbuster franchises such as “Halo”, “Gears of War”, “Kinect Sports”, “Fable”, “Age of Empires”, and “Forza Motorsport”.
Prior to joining Microsoft Studios, Helen managed the Xbox LIVE subscriptions business where she was responsible for driving and implementing strategy and growth plans and was accountable for a $500M business. Under her business leadership, the subscriber base more than doubled in size and created the foundation for what Xbox LIVE is today – a world class online entertainment service with 40+ million worldwide members.
Prior to her nine years with Xbox, Helen managed the Streets & Trips software business where she was responsible for product management and product marketing.
Helen holds a dual bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and computer science from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Helen enjoys taking on new athletic challenges and has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, ran the Boston marathon alongside Will Ferrell, and climbed Mt. Rainier for charity. She lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and two daughters, with whom she plays Minecraft in creative mode
