Mike Hayes, the man formerly head of SEGA West, has begun a new role as non-executive director over at digital startup company Caperfly.

The company is based in the UK in Leamington Spa (surprisingly quite the video games development hub) and has former Codemasters vice president Gavin Cheshire as CEO.

"This is a good time to be in this new vibrant sector of the industry," Hayes said to CVG. "I am positive we can take advantage of the next great wave of innovation and distribution here at Caperfly. I see Caperfly as a unique mix of talented individuals with aspirations to develop high-quality titles, and I relish the opportunity to be a part of their success."

Hayes was widely regarded as an important influence to the Western games Market since his appointment to SEGA in 2004. He left earlier this year but has been staying in touch with a stripped down advisory role.