Employee Name: Fayez Iqbal

Title: Senior Product Marketing Manager

Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan / Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Last book you read / listened to: This Arab is Queer

Are there any games or products that you’ve been involved with that hold a special place in your heart?

I go way back with Zynga Poker. I was playing it when I lived in Saudi Arabia, back in its early days as a Facebook game. Getting to work on a product I genuinely love as a player is such a joy. It makes every decision I make feel a little more personal.

What would someone be surprised to learn about your company or profession?

How cross-functional product marketing really is. On any given day I’m collaborating with the game studio, legal, finance, creative strategy, social, App Store Optimization (ASO), and the list goes on. It can be a lot of code-switching, but it’s also one of the reasons why I enjoy it.

How would you describe the culture at Zynga?

Warm, inclusive, and fun. And I mean that. I loved it here so much that I came back as a boomerang employee. The Toronto studio has such great energy that I actually look forward to coming into the office, which feels like a flex! It’s rare to find an office environment where you don’t have to filter your personality.

What do you enjoy most about working here?

The investment Zynga makes in its people. There are many resources available. I was able to take a course to better manage my anxiety, and having that kind of support normalized at work matters. I’ve also had mentors here who are legends in their fields and actually take the time to help me grow. It all adds up and I don’t take that for granted.

Tell us about joining zPride and what the group has brought to you and your career.

I joined zPride during the pandemic when we were all stuck in our little bubbles, and it honestly became my lifeline. It connected me with queer coworkers globally who have become some of my closest friends. Together, we launched #PlayWithPride, an initiative where several Zynga games celebrated Pride in-game. Knowing that millions of players saw themselves in games we built meant everything.

How do you connect to this month’s theme?

Unity to me feels very personal. It’s what happens when people from completely different corners of the world show up for each other every single day—not because we have to, but because we care. That’s what zPride is to me: a reminder that I’m not alone.