Tundra Esports CEO Carleton Curtis announces decision to step down

05 December 2023

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(ESI Illustration) Image credit: Tundra Esports

Carleton Curtis, Chief Operating Executive (CEO) of Tundra Esports, is to step down from his role within the UK-based organisation at the end of the year.

He will also step down as Executive Chairman at Sandstorm Media Group, Tundra’s parent company.

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Announcing his departure in a LinkedIn post, Curtis also revealed that Tundra Co-Founder Maxim Demin will lead the organisation in his place.

Formerly Executive Chairman at Guild Esports, Curtis initially joined Sandstorm as Non-Executive Chairman in December 2021 before becoming Executive Chairman in February of this year. In the same month, he assumed the role of CEO at Tundra Esports to replace the outgoing Evgeniy Roshchupkin.

During Curtis’ time at Sandstorm and Tundra, the organisation became The International champions in Dota 2 in 2022, taking home $8.52m (~£6.74m) in winnings. Fortnite player Harry ‘veno’ Pearson also won the EU FNCS Grand Finals while representing the team the same year.

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Tundra saw Netherlands and Liverpool F.C. footballer Virgil van Dijk join the organisation as shareholder and ambassador in 2022. More recently, the organisation partnered with PSG Esports, the esports arm of football giants Paris Saint-Germain, in a collaboration that saw the creation of a joint Rocket League team PSG Tundra.

In his departure announcement, Curtis commented: “At the end of 2023, I’ll be stepping down from my roles as CEO of Tundra Esports and Executive Chairman at Sandstorm Media Group. I’ve had an amazing 2+ years, but it’s now time to pass the baton to Tundra cofounder Maxim Demin.

“We’ve accomplished so much together at Tundra: 2022 TI World Champions, 2022 EU FNCS Champions, partnerships with Virgil Van Dijk & Paris Saint-Germain, amazing new brand sponsorships with Ballantine’s, Winline & ViewSonic, and award-winning content. As for what’s next, I’ll be ready to share early next year.”

Lee Jones