Each month, Esports Insider compiles the period’s most significant movers and shakers in esports. As the year comes to a close, multiple esports organisations have announced major departures and hires in order to bolster ambitions in 2023 and beyond.
Here’s the top personnel news for November 2022. Click the link in the corresponding title below for the full story.
Spotlighted story
Jaxon, a one-of-a-kind space-themed ‘virtual influencer’ and esports tabloid publication, will be shutting down its services, according to Christian Slot, the platform’s Editor in Chief.
Staff members, which includes journalists and writers, were notified of the publication’s situation late last month.
Jaxon was co-owned and co-funded by Samsung Electronics and Upday, a service of Samsung, as well as Axel Springer SE, a German digital publishing company that owns numerous multimedia news outlets.
Former 100Thieves League of Legends General Manager and caster Chris ‘PapaSmithy’ Smith has been announced as the new President and Chief Gaming Officer of North American esports organisation FlyQuest.
In his new role, Smith’s objective will be to reach competitive success and assist with the organisation’s business strategy by creating content opportunities, promoting brand activations and enhancing fan engagement.
Esports holding company GameSquare Esports has announced the appointment of Jeremi Gorman to the company’s Board of Directors.
Gorman currently holds the position of President of Worldwide Advertising at Netflix, which she will continue to hold going forward. At GameSquare, she will be an independent director on the Board.
Marco Mereu, the Co-founder of gaming and lifestyle brand XSET, has officially announced that he departed the organisation in August of this year.
XSET was founded a little over two years ago by Marco Mereu alongside fellow former FaZe Clan executive members Greg Selkoe, Wil Eddins, Clinton Sparks. The organisation quickly grew to become a well-known brand within the North American ecosystem, with a total of almost 800,000 followers across its social media platforms across Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.
Swedish former professional CS:GO player Emil Christensen, known by his in-game name HeatoN, has announced via Twitter that he is now a major shareholder and the new CEO of Swedish esports organisation GODSENT.
Christensen will start work on rebuilding GODSENT immediately, but did not share any further details about the new role, nor disclose his ownership stake.
Kal Hourd, the CEO of British esports organisation Guild Esports, has stepped down from his role and will leave the company, Guild has announced.
Hourd will be succeeded by Jasmine Skee, the former Chief Marketing Officer for the company, when the Board changes take place on January 1st 2023.
Talent agency Unsigned Group has appointed EXCEL Esports Co-founder Joel Holmes-Darby as its Head of Esports.
According to the official announcement, Holmes-Darby will help expand Unsigned’s esports offering by helping build its clients’ brands, content and experiences. Unsigned Group made major steps into the esports industry last year when it signed CS:GO player Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz to its roster of clients.
Women in Esports, an initiative created by not-for-profit organisation British Esports, has bolstered its committee with seven new members.
The initiative continues to improve representation and diversity in the esports and gaming industry, which is what the new appointees will also focus on. The seven women represent some of the leading companies within the esports industry, such as EXCEL, ESL FACEIT Group, Story Mob and NSE.
