The UK Esports Team Committee (UKETC) has appointed Jeff Simpkins, the Chief Operating Officer of esports organisation Resolve, as its Chair for 2024.
Simpkins has been the committee Vice Chair since January 2023. In addition to Simpkins becoming Chair of the UKETC, Sam Macedonio, Founder and CEO of UK-based esports organisation Into The Breach, will become the new Vice Chair.
Simpkins’ current role at Resolve, a position he has held since September 2022, will not be affected following his new position at the UKETC. As COO of the organisation, Simpkins oversees the daily operations of Resolve, with the organisation notably competing in Rocket League’s RLCS.
In November 2023, Into The Breach became the latest UKETC member. Moreover, the committee removed the renamed Carolina Royal Ravens Call of Duty League franchise and esports organisation LDN UTD.
The change of leadership also follows the departure of former UKETC Chair and MNM COO Daniel Chung on December 1st. On the same day, the UKETC announced it would hold a vote to appoint the next Chair and Vice Chair for 2024, with Simpkins and Macedonio winning the vote. Alongside Chung’s departure, MNM became the latest member to leave the committee.
Founded in 2021, the UKETC was formed to help professionalise the esports industry in the UK. In April 2023, the committee announced a mental health initiative which features the inclusion of psychological first aiders to help players with mental issues.
Simpkins, the newly-appointed Chair of the UKETC, told Esports Insider: “I think we’ve had a really turbulent year in UK esports and the UKETC hasn’t avoided that. We haven’t achieved as much as we’d have liked and we’ve had members teams come and go.
“I’m hoping in 2024 we can provide some stability and we can again try to push UK esports forward. As a group, I feel like we’ve lost some momentum and hopefully, we can collectively remember why we all wanted to be part of the UKETC and make some progress on our goals.”
