Tournament organiser ESL has appointed Craig Levine as its Co-CEO, promoting him from his previous role as Chief Strategy Officer.
Levine replaces David Neichel as Co-CEO alongside Ralf Reichert, with Neichel now serving as a senior advisor to them both.
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Prior to serving as ESL’s CSO, Levine held the post of CEO of the company’s North America unit. His esports experience spans back to 2002 when he founded the then-leading organisation, Team 3D. He later served as Vice President of ESS Agency and President of E-Sports Entertainment before boarding ESL in 2014.
Reichert spoke on the personnel change: “I could not be more excited to have Craig step into this role alongside me. Craig has been part of the ESL and broader esports family for many years, has been a key leader in shaping our growth and developing the organization globally. He loves ESL and esports as much as I do and it is a natural step to appoint him to help us continue driving our vision given his industry expertise, passion for our team and deep understanding of our strategy, products and fans.”
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Last month, Stefan Beitz was appointed as ESL’s Chief Financial Officer. Beitz worked for ProSiebenSat.1 for over 11 years, initially joining as its Controller in October 2008. Over the years, he took on more responsibility and led a number of sales units for the German media company.
Neichel commented on his role change, which will see him “focus on regional business development” and “long-term development and investment,” in a release: “I am immensely proud of the work done by the team for the last three years and extremely satisfied to hand over to Craig. I can’t think of any better leader than him to continue delivering the company transformation and bring it to the next level.”
Esports Insider says: Levine is clearly experienced in esports, with almost 20 years of tenure, and will be well-versed in ESL’s goals and operations. He also has a solid Co-CEO alongside him to ease him into the position and, ultimately, to keep ESL growing despite the global pandemic and beyond.