Former Unity CEO David Helgason exits company as Bernard Kim joins board

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Former Unity CEO and founder David Helgason has resigned from the company’s board of directors effective immediately.

Helgason has been with the company for more than 20 years and spearheaded the tech firm’s fast growth in the game engine space with his co-founders Nicholas Francis and Joachim Ante.

The company’s key marketing message was to democratise game development and has since become one of the world’s most widely used game engines.

The former CEO stepped down from the role in 2014, but remained on the board.

Board changes

Also exiting the company is IronSource co-founder and former CEO Tomer Bar-Zee. He joined Unity following the acquisition of IronSource in 2022. Both board members resigned as of February 5th, 2026.

Other board members leaving include Mary Schmidt Campbell, whose term is set to expire at the company’s 2026 annual meeting of stockholders. Meanwhile, Unity chief accounting officer Mark Barrysmith is set to retire on June 15th, 2026.

As a result of the departures, the full board has been reduced to nine members.

“David and Tomer have been vital partners as we’ve grown and transformed Unity,” said Unity CEO Matt Bromberg.

“They welcomed me into the company, shared their unique vision as founders, and have provided unfailing support. I’m looking forward to many more years of conversation with both of them.”

Unity chairman Jim Whitehurst commented: “On behalf of the board, I want to thank David and Tomer for their partnership and invaluable contributions to the company’s evolution during their tenure. We’re grateful for their service and wish them every success in their future endeavours.”

Bernard Kim returns to games

One person joining Unity’s board as an independent director is former Zynga president of publishing and Match Group CEO Bernard Kim, who will start the role as of May 1st, 2026. He will serve on the board and as a member of the board’s nominating corporate governance committee, with his term set to expire in 2027.

“Bernard brings deep experience building and scaling global, public companies at the intersection of games and technology,“ said Whitehurst.

“His leadership across mobile gaming, advertising technology, and consumer platforms will be a valuable addition to the Unity board.”

Kim commented: “Unity plays a foundational role in how interactive experiences are created, distributed and scaled. I’ve long admired the company’s impact on the industry, and I’m excited to work with the Board and leadership team as Unity accelerates its mission to democratise game development.”