SAN FRANCISCO — Gaming and messaging platform Discord has hired its first chief communications officer, as it ramps up its marketing activity in the run-up to an anticipated IPO this year.

Hess (pictured) has been briefed to reposition Discord – where players can chat before, during and after playing their favourite games – as a top gaming platform and improve communication with users, parents, game developers, publishers and policymakers about its corporate mission and values. Discord currently has more than 196 million monthly active users.

Her team will also be responsible for protecting corporate reputation amid heightened scrutiny around children's online safety and content moderation.

Hess previously served as head of global communications and marketing for Asana for more than five years, helping to take the company public in 2020. She has also held communication roles at Zynga, Sun Microsystems and Oracle.

In her new role, Hess will report to Discord founder and CEO Jason Citron, with her role encompassing internal communications, external communications and policy communications with marketing.

She has also been tasked with building up the company’s communications and marketing function, and is currently hiring a global policy communications lead and an internal communications manager.