North American esports organisation 100 Thieves has appointed experienced executive Matt O’Brien as its new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
O’Brien will be tasked with overseeing all revenue processes in 100 Thieves, ranging from partnerships and sponsorships to hardware and other ventures.
O’Brien will replace former CRO Matty Lee, who left the company in early January as a part of a greater round of layoffs. 100 Thieves and Matt O’Brien have not shared any additional details about the new role, however, O’Brien has cooperated with 100 Thieves for the last seven months as an advisor.
O’Brien is a seasoned executive perhaps most famous for being the Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group. The Cavaliers are an NBA franchise owned by Daniel Gilbert, one of the investors in 100 Thieves and co-founder of American loan company Rocket Mortgage.
Interestingly, neither 100 Thieves nor Matt O’Brien shared any statements regarding the appointment, and O’Brien will continue to be the SVP of Partnerships at the Cavaliers going forward. It is definitely true that his experience in the sports partnership front will be able to help 100 Thieves secure more lucrative deals in the future.
O’Brien isn’t the only person linking the Cleveland Cavaliers and 100 Thieves. One of the esports organisation’s early investors is Dan Gilbert, the owner of the NBA organisation and Rocket Morgage, the latter previously being a major sponsor of 100 Thieves.
Prior to the Cavaliers, O’Brien held a number of positions in traditional sports, including baseball and football in the United States.
100 Thieves COO and President John Robinson shared via Reddit earlier this month that “partnerships are still the biggest source of revenue” for the organisation. As such, he mentioned that a new CRO would be appointed in due course. As a result, it does make sense to appoint a senior figure that can both improve partnerships, but also create new income for the company.