Scotch whisky company Chivas Brothers has appointed James Kent as the Senior Brand Manager for Ballantine’s gaming and esports division.
Kent previously worked as the Senior Director of Global Brand Partnerships at ESL FACEIT Group. As Ballantine’s Global Senior Brand Manager, Kent will be responsible for managing the brand’s ventures into gaming and esports.
James Kent has experience in a myriad of industries including esports, automotive, luxury e-commerce, and entertainment. After a two year stint at gaming events organiser ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), Kent looks to advance Ballantine’s involvement into gaming and esports in his new role.
Prior to the formation of the ESL FACEIT Group, Kent spent a year working for FACEIT as the Commercial Partnership Director. Previous to this he had held senior roles in companies including the likes of McLaren Automotive, and Live Nation, and more. In 2018, Kent served as the Senior Partnerships Manager for Samsung Electronics.
Ballantine’s are amongst many spirit and alcohol brands looking to increase their involvement in gaming and esports. In October 2023, British esports organisation Tundra Esports partnered with the Chivas Brothers brand for The International 2023. In addition to partnering with organisations, Ballantine’s worked with tournament organiser BLAST for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, CS:GO’s final Major.
The company are not the only alcohol brand recently involved in esports as this time last year the Esports Awards partnered with XIX Vodka, a vodka brand owned by YouTube content-creator group The Sidemen.
