SPEAKERS
Patrik Sättermon
CGO
Fnatic
Patrik Sättermon
CGO
Fnatic
Former Counter-Strike pro player now leading the esports department of Fnatic as a Chief Gaming Officer
Matt Porter
CSGO & LoL Video Producer
Dexerto
Matt Porter
CSGO & LoL Video Producer
Dexerto
Matt is a video producer, writer, and journalist for Dexerto, working primarily on CSGO and League of Legends. He has been involved in gaming and esports media for almost a decade.
Shane Herrington
Social Media and PR Manager
HyperX
Shane Herrington
Social Media and PR Manager
HyperX
Shane heads up PR and Social across EMEA for HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and a brand leader in gaming and esports. Shane oversees all external communications across 17 markets and over 19 social media platforms. Since joining HyperX, Shane has launched the Cloud II, which became synonymous within esports and worn by esports teams worldwide for training and competitions. Since then, there has been an increase in the portfolio of HyperX products, including headsets, keyboards, mice, microphones, and chargers suitable for all gamers, regardless of platform.
Before the days of HyperX, Shane worked in Australia, working with Destination NSW's on their winter event - the largest festival of light, music, and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere, Vivid Sydney, and Intel. Shane then returned home and supported the UK launch to market PR strategies of brands across lifestyle-tech, luxury and literature.
Jakob Lund Kristensen
Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
Astralis A/S
Jakob Lund Kristensen
Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
Astralis A/S
Jakob has almost 20 years of experience in the esport space spanning various roles. As the Founder and commercial lead for Astralis, he has helped build a Counter-Strike based dynasty with such strong commercial partners as Microsoft, Hummel, Audi, Bang & Olufsen and Logitech.
Dan Houl
Head of eSports and Gaming
Nuvei
Dan Houl
Head of eSports and Gaming
Nuvei
In his role as Head of eSports and Gaming, Dan is responsible for identifying, establishing, and maintaining Nuvei’s merchants and partners to facilitate payments for esports, video gaming, and iGaming. Dan’s has over a decade of experience and success in diverse roles in large corporations including three on Forbes list of Top 5.
Prior to joining Nuvei, Dan served at VMware, as their Territory Executive Account Manager. He resides in London with his family, enjoying cooking, reading and video games.
John Fazio
Founder and CEO
Nerd Street Gamers
John Fazio
Founder and CEO
Nerd Street Gamers
John Fazio is the Founder and CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. John’s idea behind founding the company was born from his first time witnessing an amateur video game tournament in-person at a local video game cafe in Pennsylvania. The experience exposed the lack of opportunities that existed for competitive gamers during that time, and the potential the esports industry could reach in the future by replicating traditional sports pipelines.
The Philadelphia-native created Nerd Street Gamers to provide accessible esports to everyone through its national network of esports training centers (Localhost), tournaments, event support, and content.
Valentyn Shevchenko
Head of Business Development
WePlay Esports
Valentyn Shevchenko
Head of Business Development
WePlay Esports
Valentyn Shevchenko, head of business development at WePlay Esports.
His key areas of work are developing sales strategy for the company’s products, product development, and market launch, attracting new partnerships, and developing existing ones.
Valentyn Shevchenko graduated from the project management and consulting course at Kyiv National Economic University. Until 2019, Valentyn held the position of head of acquisitions at the Novy Canal television channel.
He dreams of creating cases that will be noticed in the media rights market, both locally and globally.
Dániel Ágoston
CEO & Co-Founder
OMNICOACH
Dániel Ágoston
CEO & Co-Founder
OMNICOACH
A dynamic entrepreneur with a great passion for AI, machine learning technologies, and their adoption to the business world. Daniel has been worked on the utilization of AI for more than 10 years. Now, he is the CEO and one of the cofounders at Omnicoach.
Omnicoach helps esport business leaders to boost fan monetization by connecting brands with gamers in a gamified and authentic way.
Joe Marsh
CEO
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Joe Marsh
CEO
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Joe Marsh is CEO of T1 Entertainment & Sports, a global esports joint venture created by Comcast Spectacor and SK Telecom in October 2019. In this role, he oversees operations based in Seoul, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and is responsible for the growth and optimization of T1’s global presence and expansion into new businesses and revenue streams surrounding competitive gaming culture and lifestyle, content, and merchandise.
Joe previously served as Chief Business Officer of Comcast’s Spectacor Gaming division and the Philadelphia Fusion esports franchise that competes in the Overwatch League.
Joe was named Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Fusion in 2018, providing direct oversight of financials for the team, including budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. Prior to joining Spectacor Gaming and the Philadelphia Fusion, Joe held several finance positions at Comcast Spectacor, where he was responsible for the development, coordination, consolidation, and communication of the company's annual budgeting, long-range planning, and forecasting functions for Comcast Spectacor’s core businesses. Joe graduated with a degree in Marketing from Millersville University and later earned his MBA in Finance, Analytics, and Strategic Management from Villanova University. Joe currently serves as a strategic advisor to Spectacor Gaming and the PhiladelphiaFusion. Joe formerly served on the Board of Nerd Street Gamers. Joe lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife and two daughters.
Cody Luongo
Senior PR Associate
JSA+Partners
Cody Luongo
Senior PR Associate
JSA+Partners
Cody Luongo is a Senior PR Associate and Content Specialist at JSA Strategies, leveraging his background in communications, media, and journalism to help clients achieve their PR goals. Mr. Luongo provides strategic counsel and proactive media relations for the firm’s esports and gaming clients. This includes developing engaging content, leading targeted media outreach, and inserting clients in key industry conversations to elevate executive thought leadership.
Prior to joining the team at JSA Strategies, Mr. Luongo spent several years as an esports industry reporter, providing in-depth coverage of both the business and consumer-facing areas of esports for publications such as ESPN and Esports Insider. Mr. Luongo served as Head of Communications for Ultimate Gaming Championship (UGC) where he developed and executed PR campaigns for live events, oversaw brand development, and curated a number of key partnerships.
Mr. Luongo earned a Master of Science in Communications and Media with a specialization in Digital Media from Lynn University.
Alex Inglot
Commissioner
ESL Pro League
Alex Inglot
Commissioner
ESL Pro League
Alex Inglot is a unique strategist within the world of sports and esports. Having worked for many years in international corporate and commercial law, and nearly a decade in global sports communications and public affairs, he is now the Commissioner of the ESL Pro League. He leads the Commissioner’s Office, an independent governing body which oversees the ESL Pro League’s business structure and governance model.
Ólafur Hrafn Steinarsson
Chairman of the Board
Icelandic Esports Association
Ólafur Hrafn Steinarsson
Chairman of the Board
Icelandic Esports Association
Ólafur started his gaming career working for CCP Games in Reykjavík Iceland, producing and organizing the Alliance tournament and handling other community content. From there he joined the Dublin team at Riot Games, spearheading the support for the collegiate esports scene across Europe before moving over to managing a development team working on the competitive product Battlegrounds. For the past three years Ólafur has been in Iceland working as Director of Esports at 1939 Games and building the local esports ecosystem under the banner of the Icelandic Esports Association which he founded. During those three years IEA has established esports as a staple in Iceland with over 30 member associations, dedicated esports content distribution locally and an 1100 square meter national esports stadium.
Mary Antieul
VP of Strategy
Belong Gaming Arenas
Mary Antieul
VP of Strategy
Belong Gaming Arenas
Mary Antieul is the VP of Strategy at Belong Gaming Arenas, a network of experiential gaming centers that connect communities of games worldwide and subsidiary of global esports and technology company Vindex. In her role, Antieul spearheads the creation and implementation of global strategy initiatives pertaining to Belong, including customer proposition and programs, marketing, and partnership integrations.
Antieul is a seasoned esports and gaming executive with extensive experience working across partnerships, marketing, operations, and strategy. Prior to Belong’s acquisition by Vindex in July 2020, Antieul served as Head of Esports and Partnerships, where she oversaw and managed esports strategies and operations, helping to conceptualize Belong and seeing through the opening of its first-ever location in Manchester, UK, in 2016.
Antieul earned her degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Sussex in 2007 and is a member of the British Esports Advisory Board, a nonprofit that works to promote and support grassroots esports operations in the UK.
Kendryx Linscott
Chief Marketing Officer
Women in Games International (WIGI)
Kendryx Linscott
Chief Marketing Officer
Women in Games International (WIGI)
Kendryx Linscott is a successful marketing executive with a passion for brand building, creating and overseeing social media teams, and product marketing. They focus on consulting with businesses on elevating their branding to better capture their growing audiences and help develop innovative marketing campaigns that better speak to their brand objectives.
They are also an international speaker and published author on the issues of sexism and misogyny in esports. They have transformed their educational focus into a role as the Chief Marketing Officer at Women in Games International, a non-profit dedicated to making the games industry equitable for professional women, non-binary, and femme presenting individuals.
Thomas Fellger
Founding Partner and CEO | CEO and Chairman
icon group | Veritas Entertainment
Thomas Fellger
Founding Partner and CEO | CEO and Chairman
icon group | Veritas Entertainment
Thomas Fellger is a Founding Partner and the CEO of icon group, a WPP network company. Established in 2003, icon group has been disrupting markets with innovative strategies for some of the world's most recognisable brands for over 17 years. Thomas has been at the forefront of this innovation at icon group, enabling its clients and empowering its teams to defy convention and push for groundbreaking work. As icon group CEO, he oversees two entities: icon impact, an international innovation agency, and icon ventures, a $30M venture capital fund that invests in the ventures that enable traditional companies to reinvent their business models for the future.
Thomas is also an investor in, as well as the CEO and Chairman of Veritas Entertainment, which builds venues under the name LVL, the scale of which is unparalleled in the esports and gaming industry. He has also pioneered Das Race, a brand-new entertainment format that blends the physical aspects of traditional RC racing with the virtual world of gaming, connecting virtual racers from all over the world onto a physical track. He also serves as a mentor for APEX, as an advisor to the UN General Assembly, and sits on the advisory of several startups.
Shanzay Usama
Brand Manager
Square Enix
Shanzay Usama
Brand Manager
Square Enix
Brand Manager working on the Avatar The Last Airbender game for Square Enix London Mobile. Been at SELM for coming up to 2 years, and was previously working in a creative agency and across various TV production houses, including the BBC.
Apart from her main role, she also leads both the EDI team for her department and across Square Enix West.
Pia Schörner
Head of Gaming & Sponsoring
BMW Group
Pia Schörner
Head of Gaming & Sponsoring
BMW Group
Pia Schörner has worked for BMW since 2007. In her role as Head of Gaming & Sponsoring she leads BMW’s global esports partnerships, marketing communication and events. She focuses on the global esports strategy, helping to raise brand awareness and desirability for the brand BMW amongst the esports community. Previously, Pia was in charge of the entire BMW Motorsport Marketing for several years. During her time at BMW Motorsport she was already responsible for the implementation of BMW SIM Racing, which has now also become an important part of BMW’s esports commitment.
Verta Maloney
Chief Content and Community Officer
the*gameHERs
Verta Maloney
Chief Content and Community Officer
the*gameHERs
verta maloney {she/her/hers} is all love with appropriate doses of rage. verta is a founder, storyteller, yogi, mama warrior and anti-racism facilitator. she has designed, managed, and delivered learning experiences and programs for humans across many industries.
verta began her 25 year career in education as a teacher in Prince George’s County Public Schools and then as a literacy specialist for the New York City Department of Education. after getting her master’s degree in politics and education at Columbia’s Teachers College, she became the founding principal of Bronx Arts and then served for several years as a leadership coach for principals and aspiring principals at New Leaders.
verta is a co-founder and the Chief Community Officer at the*gamerHERs because all women who game are dope. the*gameHERs is a women-led company and community dedicated to amplifying and centering the voices of women, femme-identifying gamers and non-binary gamers who are comfortable in spaces that center women. verta is also a founding team member at Civics Unplugged where she supports the growth and development of exceptional generation z leaders as they become the civic superheroes their communities and our democracy need.
verta co-founded 45 Lemons in 2017 so that she and her co-founder, Naa Yirenkyi, could bring their expertise together to help individuals and organizations share their racial autobiographies/stories, identify their core motivators, help their people be and do better all in order to act on and undo racism in this lifetime. it is verta’s hope that in every encounter Black, Indigenious and folks of color will leave seen, heard, healed and loved.
Rebecca J Longawa
Chief Strategy Officer
the*gameHERs
Rebecca J Longawa
Chief Strategy Officer
the*gameHERs
With over 20 years of experience in sports marketing and innovation, Rebecca is a master connector and networker. Highly regarded as a maven in the esports industry, she helps the*gameHERs develop brand partnerships and growth strategies and guides their brand partners into the*gameHERs community with authenticity and credibility.
Karima Winter
Creative Director
Cxmmunity
Karima Winter
Creative Director
Cxmmunity
Recent graduate from Towson University, Karima Winter is the Creative Director for Cxmmunity in Atlanta. Graduating with a degree in Sport Management, she made the decision to pursue her passion for gaming. With many experience in social media management, Karima continues to storm through the esports industry on a personal and professional level using unique and"trending" marketing techniques to grow the brands.
Prior to joining the Cxmmunity team, she became a part-time content creator for Twitch. Karima has networked and done many projects with other Black content creators within the gaming community in order to truly understand the need for more representation in the industry. She has managed to grow her own community on Twitch of 500+ people within a few months. Karima is also a professionally trained dancer and uses her dancing as one of many ways to market both her own brand and Cxmmunity's.
Mike Murphy O' Reilly
Commercial Director
Reset
Mike Murphy O' Reilly
Commercial Director
Reset
Mike has spent the last 5 years working with global brands on helping them to reach and engage Gaming & esports fans across the world. Mike currently works as Commercial Director at Reset, a specialised agency working with rights holders and brands in Gaming
Dom Shaw
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Coordinator
UKIE
Dom Shaw
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Coordinator
UKIE
Dom Shaw is the first Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Coordinator for the UK video games and interactive entertainment trade association, UKIE, who manages their flagship diversity initiative - the #RaiseTheGame pledge, and supports efforts towards the Video Games Ambassadors programme with Into Games. Dom is also an ambassador for the UK’s national autism research charity, Autistica, who strive to give autistic people the opportunity to live long, happy, healthy lives.
Kyle Harvey
Executive Producer of North American Content
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Kyle Harvey
Executive Producer of North American Content
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Kyle Harvey is T1’s Executive Producer of North American Content.
A creative producer with a foundation in digital storytelling, prior to T1, Kyle had notable stints at NBC News, TheGrio, Bleacher Report, and The Shadow League in multiple editorial capacities.
At T1, his responsibilities include long term content development, building the North American team, and more.
Alex T. Müller
CEO
SK Gaming GmbH & Co. KG
Auverin Morrow
Esports Brand Manager
Hi-Rez Studios
Auverin Morrow
Esports Brand Manager
Hi-Rez Studios
Auverin Morrow is the esports brand manager at Hi-Rez Studios. She's spent the last three years leveraging community-driven strategies to help expand the SMITE esports brand and better engage its fanbase. Prior to joining the dark side, she was the managing editor and resident esports fanboy at GameSkinny.
Alex Cantatore
VP Brand
Hi-Rez Studios
Alex Cantatore
VP Brand
Hi-Rez Studios
Alex Cantatore is the Vice President of Brand at Hi-Rez Studios, overseeing all brand efforts for SMITE, Paladins, Realm Royale, Rogue Company, and unannounced titles. He also leads the Hi-Rez Productions vertical, which owns and operates the SMITE Pro League and its eight member teams.
Tahir Hasandjekic
Halo Esports and Viewership Lead
343 Industries
Tahir Hasandjekic
Halo Esports and Viewership Lead
343 Industries
Halo Esports and Viewership Lead for Microsoft / 343 Industries.
Brett Diamond
Chief Operating Officer
Version1
Brett Diamond
Chief Operating Officer
Version1
Brett Diamond was named Chief Operating Officer of Version1 when the professional esports organization was founded in July 2019. He leads the business and day-to-day operations from its headquarters in Eagan, Minnesota.
Under Brett’s leadership the organization entered the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League (CDL) with its team, Minnesota Røkkr, established two new brands in R¬økkr and parent company, Version1, and hosted Call of Duty League Launch Weekend at the Minneapolis Armory in January 2020, the first event in the history of CDL and the first major esports event in Minnesota. Version1 entered Rocket League in August 2020 and Valorant in February 2021. It established its second Valorant team - VersionX, an all-women’s roster - in September 2021.
Version1’s 2021 highlights include qualifying for Valorant’s first international LAN in Iceland where they participated in the first ever NA vs. EU match, and R¬økkr winning the Call of Duty League Stage 5 major and finishing 4th at the 2021 Call of Duty League Championship. Outside of competition, in 2021 Version1 established relationships with the non-profit Cxmmunity and Boys & Girls Club Twin Cities as part of its ongoing effort to increase accessibility and diversity in gaming and esports.
Before joining Version1, Brett spent three years with the Minnesota Vikings, most recently as Director of Partnership Strategy and 11 seasons in the National Football League’s Events Department. While working in various roles on both the operations and business sides of the NFL’s major events, Brett was involved in planning 13 Super Bowls and served as the event director for the Pro Bowl for two years. From 2010-2016, Brett worked as a liaison from the NFL to communities bidding to host the Super Bowl, including working closely with the Vikings and the Minnesota community for Super Bowl LII.
Greg Lagowski
Partnerships Manager
inSTREAMLY
Greg Lagowski
Partnerships Manager
inSTREAMLY
Experienced sports and esports partnerships manager. Worked on marketing and media rights sales and activation in esports with 20+ brands, all the key local rights holders and the biggest TV companies in Poland. Developed and managed esports project for Ekstraklasa football league awarded at some well recognized marketing and sports business awards (Mixx Awards Poland, Polish Sports Business Awards). Loves to connect the dots and to share thoughts on stage - was a speaker at events hosted in London, Budapest, Frankfurt, Kaunas, Warsaw and Aarhus.
Kelly Ong
Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Owner
Alliance
Kelly Ong
Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Owner
Alliance
Kelly is a Singaporean with an unrivaled passion for gaming and esports. She began competitive gaming in 2005 and was the first female to commentate a major GSL Starcraft 2 tournament. In Alliance, she started out as the Dota 2 team manager in 2013. Today, she is the Chief Strategy Officer & co-owner of The Alliance - one of the world's most successful global pro esports organizations - which boasts teams across multiple titles including Dota 2, VALORANT, PUBGM, Apex Legends and more.
Evan Fresca
Director of Talent Management
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Evan Fresca
Director of Talent Management
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Evan Frasca is T1's Director of Talent Management. In early 2018, Evan started his career in esports in a marketing & events role with T1's sister team, the Philadelphia Fusion. Scaling in this role, Evan joined T1 in late 2019, and ultimately set a focus on establishing and developing the organization's overall talent strategy in the North American & European regions. Prior to his time in esports, he was an Associate at Boston venture capital firm COSIMO Ventures, responsible for developing strategy around gaming & crypto-based investment. At T1, his responsibilities consist of talent sourcing & development, creator branding & long-term strategy, and talent partnership management. Outside of gaming & esports, Evan has a passion for fashion, live music, travel, and Liverpool FC.
Daniel Finkler
CEO
Berlin International Gaming
Daniel Finkler
CEO
Berlin International Gaming
Daniel Finkler is the CEO and Co-Owner of Berlin International Gaming, Germany's leading esport club founded and based in Berlin.
Austin Gasparini
Director of Business Development
Chess.com
Austin Gasparini
Director of Business Development
Chess.com
Austin is responsible for overseeing and leading all business development initiatives at Chess.com. A passionate chess and esports fan, his current activities at Chess.com focus on building the online chess ecosystem and growing the game around the world.
Niclas Sundell
Head of Sales
Abios
Niclas Sundell
Head of Sales
Abios
Being a former professional CS:GO player, Niclas Sundell has over 10 years of combined experience within the esports industry. Niclas is the Head of Sales at Abios, an esports data and technology provider with customers all over the globe. The company covers all major tournaments in popular games such as CS:GO, League of Legends and Dota 2.
Karagii
Streamer
T1 Entertainment & Sports
Adam Apicella
President & Co-founder
Esports Engine
Adam Apicella
President & Co-founder
Esports Engine
Adam Apicella is the President & Co-founder of Esports Engine, operator of the world’s top esports leagues and strategic partner for publishers, agencies, teams, and brands. In his role at Esports Engine, Apicella leads the company’s client services, production, broadcast, and competition operations globally.
Apicella is a veteran of the esports industry with nearly two decades of experience designing, producing, and executing the industry’s most notable gaming programs. Prior to founding Esports Engine, Apicella served as the Vice President of League and Event Operations for Activision Blizzard, playing an integral role in landmark productions such as the Call of Duty World League and Overwatch League. Apicella was additionally one of the founding members at Major League Gaming, the company chiefly responsible for bringing esports to North America as early as 2002.
Apicella holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sports Management and minors in Business Administration and Political Science from Ohio University.
Keshia Walker
Founder & ChairWoman
Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA)
Keshia Walker
Founder & ChairWoman
Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA)
Founded in May 2020, The Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) is chaired by
Founder/Owner, Keshia Walker. Keshia started BCGA after 22 years of successfully running an award-winning agency, Insights Marketing, that specializes in the corporate and sports
industries via digital & social media marketing, new product launches, celebrity sourcing,
celebrity alliances and partnerships, event management & staffing, sponsorship activations,
brand messaging, sports promotions, experiential marketing, product sampling and live
demonstrations.
The Black Collegiate Gaming Association is a double minority owned, collegiate esports and
gaming company with the ultimate goal to create a pipeline for Black college students to gain corporate roles within the gaming and tech industries. BCGA specializes in esports and gaming education, producing professional gaming summits and conferences, connecting student talent with top companies for internship & career opportunities and sourcing corporate partners for scholarship and mentorship opportunities to the colleges and students that are formally known as charter member institutions of BCGA.
She created history by becoming the first African American woman to own a collegiate esports and gaming company in America. Keshia’s efforts to diversify this space will include: The production of Black College Con and Women Got Game Summits where she will connect both Black and women of color college students to great women and Black leaders in the industry through panel discussions, meet and greet career fairs and esports tournaments. In the short time that BCGA has been around, Walker has managed to secure partnerships with industry leaders such as GameStop, HyperX Gaming, Intel Corporation and RIG Gaming amongst others.
As BCGA continues to thrive and build, leveraging key connections with HBCUs and strategic corporate partners is integral to its growth and paying it forward
Ulrich Schulze
Senior Vice President Product
ESL Gaming
Ulrich Schulze
Senior Vice President Product
ESL Gaming
Ulrich is working as the Senior Vice President Product for ESL,
expanding their large scale events to more and more markets globally and providing excitingevents and great sponsor opportunities in the ever growing esport market around the world.
Ulrich has over 15 years of experience in the esports market, ranging from online commentary of games in the beginning over taking on a key role in building the first global IPTV station for esports to his current position leading the Product unit of ESL.
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