As esports grew during the pandemic, the leadership of many companies in the sector underwent notable changes. Below are five of the most impactful executive moves in 2020 and the effect they could have in 2021 and beyond.
Jon Tuck
■ Prior role: Chief revenue officer, NASCAR
■ New role: Chief commercial officer, Immortals Gaming Club
■ Date announced: March 23
■ Early Returns: Recently, IGC made a surprising move by selling its spot in the Call of Duty League and announcing a shift in strategy to focus on online gaming. The company could also be looking to sell its Overwatch League franchise. Moving out of city-based esports takes IGC away from Tuck’s most direct experience in selling to nonendemic brands, but the organization is still a well-liked brand within one of North America’s biggest esports leagues — Riot Games’ LCS. Tuck has brought with him relationships and experience bringing nonendemic brands to NASCAR that will no doubt translate well to the L.A.-based esports team.
Nicole Pike
■ Prior role: Managing director, Nielsen Esports
■ New role: Global sector head of esports and gaming, YouGov
■ Date announced: June 15
■ Early Returns: Since Pike’s appointment at YouGov, the company has begun to expand its presence in esports, signing a partnership with Nordic team North Esports in October. She was at the forefront of streamlining esports viewership measurement during her time at Nielsen. Her relationship with all the big-name players in the industry, such as Riot Games and Activision Blizzard, will help push YouGov to the front of the esports analytics space.
Tony Petitti
■ Prior role: MLB deputy commissioner of business and media
■ New role: President of sports and entertainment, Activision Blizzard
■ Date announced: Aug. 10
■ Early Returns: While no specifics have come to light, sources told Sports Business Journal last month that Petitti has already greenlighted “one project that had been on the back burner for more than a year.” He has a big job in front of him, guiding the leagues built on live home events out of a pandemic that crippled what was supposed to be their breakout year. With Activision Blizzard already locked into an exclusive media deal with YouTube, Petitti will have to look elsewhere to grow revenue for both Activision Blizzard and its partner teams.
Terrence Turner
■ Prior role: Senior merchandising director, Cirque Du Soleil
■ New role: Merchandising director, Panda Global
■ Date announced: Sept. 1
■ Early Returns: Panda Global recently unveiled a full brand redesign complete with a new product line and ecommerce shop, allowing Turner to lend his experience to revitalizing a long-standing esports brand. Esports merchandise has often been something of an afterthought for teams, but Turner has developed merchandise for varied brands including Hershey Entertainment, and can help turn Panda Global into a leader and innovator in the space.
Yvette Martinez-Rea
■ Prior role: CEO, ESL North America
■ New role: Vice president of partnerships and sponsorships, Verizon
■ Date announced: Oct. 5
■ Early Returns: This month, Verizon became one of the first nonendemic brands to jump into official Valorant esports sponsorship, expanding its deal with Riot Games. Under Martinez-Rea, ESL signed a major deal with AT&T that included a significant focus on mobile esports. With Riot Games’ new mobile title coming to the U.S. next year, she has the opportunity to take learnings from that deal and push Verizon to become a leader in the growing mobile space.
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