Global Esports Federation hires new director

Image credit: Global Esports Federation

Eric Brinkley, who has held senior positions at ESL, EA and FACEIT, has joined the Global Esports Federation (GEF) as its Director of Programs and Content.

He will focus on ‘the next stages of the GEF’s development and programmes’, according to a release.

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Brinkley was a Product Manager for ESL America from 2014 and then went on to become an Event Producer at EA.

After joining FACEIT in 2019, he was eventually made Director of Programs, co-leading FACEIT Media, according to his LinkedIn profile.

More recently Brinkley was Director of Gaming & Esports Partnerships at Rally, the now-defunct company that created blockchain tokens for creators and organisations. The company was co-founded by Kevin Chou, Executive Chairman of esports organisation Gen.G. Brinkley left in August 2022, according to LinkedIn.

The GEF is a convening body for esports. Its flagship event, the Global Esports Games, will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this year.

Last year, the body struck a 10-year deal with the West Midlands, an administrative district in the UK, to position the region as a ‘global esports hub’.

“The GEF is in the right place at the right time,” Brinkley said. “I’m excited to use my experiences to help accelerate growth and forge new paths in the space. In addition to our commitment to growing a robust global portfolio, we are focusing on matters of social impact, working with diverse stakeholders and the community around the world.”

Billy Studholme
Billy is Esports Insider's freelance Assistant Editor. He mostly reports on the business and economic landscape of esports. He has written for the Washington Post, Digiday, Dexerto, Esports.net and other outlets both endemic and non-endemic to the esports industry.