THQ Inc. has announced the appointment of video game industry veteran Germaine Gioia as senior vice president, licensing and merchandising, effective immediately.

Gioia’s tenure in the video game industry spans nearly two decades. She rejoins THQ after serving as senior vice president, licensing for Capcom Entertainment in the US and European territories for the past three years. At Capcom, Gioia oversaw and secured merchandising partnerships for Capcom’s franchises, spanning electronics, apparel, book and music publishing, toy, home furnishings, promotion and media. She also secured intellectual property procurement across game platforms. Gioia previously headed the licensing efforts of THQ for 14 years, where she was instrumental in securing many of THQ’s most successful franchises. She returns to THQ along with Josh Austin to work with each of THQ’s business units in their licensing and merchandising efforts.

“We are pleased to welcome Germaine back to THQ. She will play an integral role in both securing new intellectual properties for THQ as well as expanding the merchandising opportunities for our own brands,” said Brian Farrell , president and CEO, THQ.

Germaine Gioia said, “I am excited to return to a well-positioned and highly focused THQ. Today’s market offers many new opportunities for growth and I look forward to helping the THQ team build our portfolio of intellectual properties and broaden the exposure of our brands across entertainment mediums and other relevant markets.”

Gioia’s prior roles include director of corporate communications at CIC, a high-technology computer software development company in Silicon Valley and corporate marketing communications at LucasArts Entertainment Company. Gioia holds a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.