Swedish organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas has found its Head of Commercial Partnerships in Soren Runge.
Runge specialises in sales, business development, and partnerships, with experience from across Europe, North America, and South America.
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Most recently working at Newzoo, Runge served as the New Business Manager at the agency from January 2019 to April 2020. Prior to that, he occupied roles as the Business Development Manager and Project Manager, Esports during his three-year tenure there. He also worked in content marketing at ESL in 2016.
Runge spoke to Esports Insider about his new venture: “The last few years, I’ve spent my time advising brands on how to enter the games and esports business authentically ensuring maximum return on investment. NiP is an iconic brand for potential partners to work with, and I look forward to creating genuine activations that engage with the esports audience, bringing in a lot of new brands to the space. We are on a very exciting journey, and I am thrilled to be part of the team.”
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Ninjas in Pyjamas is currently partnered with online sportsbook Betway, ASUS gaming brand Republic of Gamers, and gaming peripherals manufacturer Xtrfy.
Jonas Gundersen, COO at Ninjas in Pyjamas, also commented: “Modernizing an iconic brand with 20 years of history while launching into a much steeper growth trajectory requires great people, and adding Soren to take point on our business development efforts is an exciting addition, with his experience in gaming, startups, and sales. Our expansion strategy will see us continue to add ambitious and talented people that can help elevate our execution across the whole organization.
“Esports is in an incredibly exciting time, and this is no time to slow down. We’re coming up on a 20 year birthday this year, and we are determined to make the next 20 even more impactful while keeping our position as one of the most dominant brands within the space.”
Esports Insider says: Despite the difficult circumstances brought on by COVID-19, Ninjas in Pyjamas seems determined on continuing its growth with a key hire in Runge. We’re intrigued to see which new partners come on board in the next six-to-twelve months.