HP Inc, the California based technology company announced late last week that they have sponsored Team Secret’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Julia “Juliano” Kiran.
Our new member of the OMEN family is @juliakiran! Congratulations to all who guessed correctly. pic.twitter.com/rnuXOrE9Kk
— OMEN (@OMENbyHP) March 3, 2017
The partnership is with OMEN, the gaming arm of the HP Inc product offering. Julia is the captain and in-game leader of one of, if not the most successful female CS:GO team, Team Secret. Over the weekend they retained their Intel Extreme Masters title, fending off competition from Counter Logic Gaming Red and the newly signed Team Dignitas roster to take home the $15,000 (£12,240) first prize.
Julia revealed: “I am thrilled to be the first female esports player working with HP and I look forward to being an ambassador for OMEN by HP gaming products. By sponsoring me, HP is helping to reinvent and extend the definition of an esports gamer, showing that it’s okay to be different and gamers can come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the comments I receive online have shown me that people’s idea of what makes a great gamer can be very outdated and that needs to be challenged more publicly.”
Caroline Llahona, Consumer Marketing Director of HP EMEA added: “We are very excited about this new sponsorship. Julia is one of the most prominent esports players in the world today and she represents the changing nature of what it means to be a gamer. OMEN by HP gaming products are all about striving to be the best, next-level perfomance and being at the very top of our game, just like Julia. It’s fantastic to be working with her to drive forward on some of the issues affecting the varied types of gamers out there. There’s more to come, watch this space.”
Esports Insider says: Congratulations to both Julia and OMEN. It’s good to see more of the female scene getting the recognition they deserve. With Caroline signing off with “there’s more to come, watch this space” we’re excited to see what’s next for OMEN and HP.
