Dubai-based esports media company and tournament organiser YaLLa Esports has promoted Teemu Koski to Chief Growth Officer (CGO).
According to the company, Koski will look to accelerate YaLLa Esports’ growth and enhance its offerings to fans, players and partners alike. This includes placing a focus on its flagship initiatives like the YaLLa Compass Circuit, a community-focused Counter-Strike 2 tournament series.
The first edition of YaLLa Compass recorded a peak viewership of 163,139 and garnered over 2.9m hours watched, according to Esports Charts. For the second edition, the company announced the tournament will feature two LAN events in 2025 and a combined prize pool of $1.5m (~£1.16m).
Prior to his promotion, Koski worked as YaLLa Esports’ Vice President of Media Business. Koski also worked for telecommunications company Elisa for over 14 years, including a two-and-a-half-year spell as Head of Elisa Esports. YaLLa Esports also noted that the new CGO has been developing gaming and esports strategies with governmental entities across Europe and the MENA region to achieve long-term growth goals.
Since launching in 2016, YaLLa Esports has become one of the largest esports companies and tournament organisers in the Middle East. Last year, the company attracted notable partners including the likes of skin trading marketplace BitSkins and sports events management company IMG.
Klaus Kajetski, CEO of YaLLa Esports, commented: “Teemu has been a critical part of our success with YaLLa Compass, proving his ability to deliver an esports event that transcends borders and creates meaningful partnerships.
“This promotion is a natural next step as we look to double down on our growth plans, including our continued investment of $5m (~£3.8m) into the esports ecosystem in 2025, as well as our expansion into new territories.”
