Ian Smith
Commissioner
Ian Smith is the Integrity Commissioner of Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in traditional sports.
Stephen Hanna
Director of Global Strategy
As ESIC’s Director of Global Strategy and Partnerships, Stephen is responsible for developing ESIC’s strategic outlook. Stephen is an experienced forensic accountant with accompanying legal qualifications. He has extensive experience in the areas of forensic expert work, government and legislative consultancy, and law enforcement coordination. Stephen plays a pivotal role within ESIC, particularly in his pioneering of various technological advancements and forensic practices within ESIC’s global integrity framework.
GRAHAM ASHTON
External Affairs Manager
Graham acts as Riot Games’ liaison and advisor for esports-related policy and regulatory matters in the EMEA region. This includes advancing relationships with governments and detailing how Riot’s competitions are run at the highest level. He is part of the Rules and Governance team within Riot’s Competitive Operations department, working from the publisher’s Berlin esports office.
Richard Lewis
Editor At Large
Richard Lewis is a veteran, award-winning British esports journalist, with over a decade of experience covering the biggest scandals and uncovering the inner workings of esports. He has been recognized for his contribution to esports with a lifetime achievement award in 2020.
Brett Abarbanel
Executive Director, International Gaming Institute
Brett Abarbanel is executive director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), International Gaming Institute with an affiliate position at the University of Sydney Science, Brain, & Mind Centre. Her research covers video games, esports and gambling, operations and technology, and responsible gambling and community relations. Dr. Abarbanel is the executive editor of the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, and on the editorial board at International Gambling Studies and Harvard University’s Brief Addiction Science Information Source. She is a founding director of the Nevada Esports Alliance, which promotes development of best practices at the intersection of the esports and regulated gambling industries, and an inaugural member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Esports Technical Advisory Committee.
Per Lambaek
Founder & CTO
Per is one of the co-founders of HLTV.org in 2002, and has been a part of the journey for the past 20 years. As CTO in HLTV Per is a part of all aspects of HLTV, from strategy, management to the various marquee features of HLTV such as the vast statistical database, the rating algorithm, and the world ranking.
Timo Krueger
Commercial Director Esports & Gaming, International
Timo Krueger is the Commercial Director of Esports and Gaming at Nielsen Sports where he is responsible for providing customized solutions based on media evaluation and market research formajor esports organizations, driving business development and identifying local esports challenges across Europe and Asia. Previously, Timo was responsible for spearheading new business development for Nielsen Esports and Nielsen Gaming in the DACH region. Timo has a Master’s Degree in International Marketing and Media Management from University of Applied Science Cologne, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sports Management and Sports Communication from Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln.
Stephen Hanna
Director of Global Strategy & Partnership
As ESIC’s Director of Global Strategy and Partnerships, Stephen is responsible for developing ESIC’s strategic outlook. Stephen is an experienced forensic accountant with accompanying legal qualifications. He has extensive experience in the areas of forensic expert work, government and legislative consultancy, and law enforcement coordination. Stephen plays a pivotal role within ESIC, particularly in his pioneering of various technological advancements and forensic practices within ESIC’s global integrity framework.
Welcoming Remarks
Summary / What's Next / Invitation to After-Party
Bomb Has Been Planted - Crime and Punishment
Creating Effective Esports Policy
Andy Miah
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Professor
Professor Andy Miah is Chair of Science Communication & Future Media in the School of Science, Engineering, and Environment at the University of Salford, Manchester. Author of 10 books about emerging technologies, Professor Miah is known for his research into ethics and artificial intelligence, human enhancement, immersive realities, and esports. He is an Advisory Board Member of the British Esports Federation, Commission Member of the Global Esports Federation, and author of Sport 2.0: Transforming Sports for a Digital World (MIT Press, 2017). In 2020, he co-founded the International Journal of Esports, the world’s first scientific journal in the subject. Previous roles include providing digital media training for IAAF athletes, social media guidance for Olympic athletes, mentoring on the International Olympic Committee Young Reporters Programme. Prof Miah is also a frequent media commentator and has written for Vogue, BBC, Wired, and many other outlets.
Wayne Sullivan
Head of Major Events and City Experience
As Head of Major Events and City Experience at London and Partners Wayne has a breadth of experience across a vast portfolio of Major Events. Previously working for the Mayor of London, he has collaborated with rights holders to deliver some of London’s biggest events including EURO 2020, NFL and Major League Baseball. He is now shifting London’s attention to e-Sport, building a new portfolio for the city. Using his experience from live sporting and cultural events he has developed a new pillar of work at London and Partners with the focus to make London a world centre for e-sport.
David Harris
Managing Director
David Harris is the Managing Director at Guinevere Capital and possesses over 20 years of experience across top Australian, UK and International sports & esports organisations. He currently has interests in esports projects including League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO), Skybox.gg, XL Esports & Esports High Performance Centres. He has an MBA from Oxford University, Said Business School and is a Graduate of the Australain Institute of Company Directors.
Trevor Williams
Vice President Corporate Strategy
Trevor Williams currently holds the position of Vice President - Corporate and Business Development at Hi-Rez Studios the makers of SMITE, Paladins and Rogue Company. Trevor has been with Hi-Rez since March 2017. Prior to Hi-Rez Trevor worked as the Director of Operations at Motiga, another esports/GaaS company and prior to that ran investments and finance at Microsoft for Team Xbox. Trevor has been in the gaming industry for more than 10 years and has more than 16 years of work experience.
Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer
Research Assistant
Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer works, researches and lectures i.a. in the areas of civil, labor/employment and gambling law with a focus on esports and gaming. He is currently working as a research assistant for the law firm SKW Schwarz. In addition to his work for SKW Schwarz, he also advises various national and international stakeholders from the landscape of associations and politics (e.g. the European Parliament and parliamentary parties in the German Bundestag) and has repeatedly written expert opinions related to esports. As co-founder of the world's first university Research Center for Esports Law and the Esports Research Network, he has been doing pioneering work in the scientific examination of esports for years.
Luke Burdon
Senior Partnerships Manager
Luke has 10 years B2B experience dealing with some of the biggest brand in the world. A huge gaming and esports fan. Currently Senior Partnerships Manager for the most historic and largest esports org in the world in Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Evelyn Tan
Founder and CEO
Evelyn specializes in team dynamics in esports. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of York, with a background in Organizational Psychology from University College London (UCL). Her work focuses on quantifying social dynamics to build cohesive, high-performing teams. Her recent publication "Communication Sequences Indicate Team Cohesion: A Mixed-Methods Study of Ad Hoc League of Legends Teams." won the Best Paper award at CHI PLAY, the premier conference for games research. Evelyn's work is globally recognised and has ignited discussions on the future of tech in esports high performance. She is extending this work through her startup, patterns.gg.
Katie Simmonds
Global Chief Operating Officer
I am an English qualified lawyer that specialises in sports law. As SIGA’s Global Chief Operating Officer, I play an integral role in the development of SIGA, the world`s largest coalition for sport integrity and have been involved in the creation of SIGA since inception, with fellow Co-Founder and Global CEO, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros.
Flavien Guillocheau
CEO
Flavien Guillocheau is the founder and CEO of PandaScore, an AI-powered provider of esports data and odds. PandaScore was established in 2016 and now powers the world’s leading betting operators and esports bookmakers with its odds and innovative products. The clients include Entain, William Hill, Dream11, Strafe amongst many others. I play a key role in the coordination of the six SIGA Standing Committees that advise the Global CEO and Council on the coalition’s core areas of reform and am responsible for the internal governance of the organisation. I work closely with the early adopters of the SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity, as well as providing legal and strategic advice in relation to the development of the first-ever independent assessment of sports organisations’ governance.
Valérie Horyna
EMEA Rules & Compliance Manager, esports
Valérie Horyna is the EMEA Rules & Compliance Manager, esports, at Riot Games managing all esports regulatory and governance matters since 2022.Prior to joining Riot Games, Valérie worked as a sports lawyer since 2009 with different international sports federations such as FIFA and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) across different legal departments in dispute resolution, disciplinary, ethics and governance before having opened her own sports consulting company. She also holds several honorary arbitrator positions with independent Tribunals of international sports organizations, such as the International Equestrian Federation (until '22), Gymnastics Ethics Foundation and International Weightlifting Federation and serves as a Board Member of Women in Sports Law.
Phelan Hill
Head of Strategy & Consulting - International
Phelan joined Nielsen Sports & Entertainment in 2018, he now leads the International Consulting practice, providing strategic advice to the company’s rights holders and brand clients. Prior to joining Nielsen, he worked for a leading strategy consultancy firm.In the world of gaming and esports, Phelan advises on commercial growth strategy, fan development and product development. In current years he has worked with the likes of Twitch, Riot Games, Tencent, Fnatic, Excel Esports and currently advises both the IOC and FIFA on developing their gaming proposition.In addition he brings a wealth of experience from traditional sports where he advises major international federations, rights holders, brands and broadcasters including FIFA, IOC, World Athletics, EPL, DAZN, Heineken, and Expedia on maximising their value, connecting with their fans and addressing their most pressing issues.Outside of his career, he has represented Team GB at the Olympic Games in London 2012 and Rio 2016 where he won Olympic Gold and Bronze in the sport of rowing.
Martin Dachselt
CEO
Martin Dachselt is the CEO & Managing Director of Bayes Esports. Martin has over 20 years of top level management experience in tech startups. He served as CTO of Dojo Madness, Smartfrog and Delivery Hero, and as VP Operations for Click&Buy. At Bayes Esports, he is looking to professionalize the industry and create a sustainable future for everyone involved in esports.
Brian McCauley
Vice Chair
Brian is an Assistant Professor at Jönköping International Business School in Jönköping, Sweden, the 'City of DreamHack'. He is the founding Vice Chair of the Esports Research Network and hosts the Esports Research Report podcast. Brian lectures in marketing and communications while researching esports in areas such as marketing, entrepreneurship, sustainability through active engagement with industry and the grassroots.
Tom Brock
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Tom Brock is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Manchester Met where he researches esports and games consumer behaviour. He has published widely in journals including The Sociological Review, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, Information, Communication and Society, Games and Culture, and the Journal of Critical Realism. Tom is the Reviews Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, Critical Gambling Studies, International Journal of Esports, and the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports. He is currently working on two books about esports: Consuming Video Games: Understanding Video Game Consumption and Cultures and The Routledge Handbook of Esports. Tom’s research features widely in the press and online media, including in Wired, BBC World News, BBC Radio 4, and The Conversation.
Audrey Cech
Global Head of Rules and Compliance, esports
Audrey is currently Global Head of Rules and Compliance, esports, at Riot Games. As such, Audrey sets Riot’s global strategy and acts as in-house counsel for all matters related to esports regulatory, disciplinary and integrity matters.Before joining Riot Games, Audrey focused on international Sports law working with international federations such as FIFA and UEFA. She gained comprehensive knowledge of the international sports landscape, particularly football, and dealt with a variety of legal and operational matters. She handled highly sensitive and visible cases in a broad range of topics, including but not limited to, Disciplinary, Integrity/Ethics, Anti-Doping, eSports, as well as International Arbitration and Litigation, particularly in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
James Dean
Director UK Strategy and Commercial
Founder and CEO of the ESL Gaming UK office. Grew to the 2nd largest national esports league globally. Exited ESL 2020, now maintaining ESL product licensing. New focus on the expansion of live competitive entertainment across gaming, taking on IP licenses with a focus around fan experience and technology.
Tobias Scholz
Founding Chairperson
Tobias works as an Assistant Professor for Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at the University of Siegen, Germany. He is the Founding Chairperson of the Esports Research Network and co-editor of the Esports Yearbook. Tobias is in Esports for over 20 years and he is researching in esports the governance, strategic management, team performance and sustainability.
Alex Kozachenko
Chief Operating Officer
Alex is data.bet's CPO. His obsession with esports started early, when he used to play CS 1.6 in what was called “computer clubs”. He is currently in charge of the company's strategic product development planning. Analysing constant market development and potential parterships, he is in charge of foreseeing oncoming challenges and taking precautions to overcome them with ease. Holding a Masters degree in marketing and management, he is also keen on marketing and the allignment of the company's product and the marketing strategy.
THE EGES 2022 HAS CONCLUDED, We look forward to seeing you all again in February 2023 at the ExCeL London!
2023 SPEAKERS.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
BRETT ABARBANEL
Executive Director, International Gaming Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
+ MANY MORE SPEAKERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
HEAR FROM OUR 2022 SPEAKERS
MICHAEL BLICHARZ
VP PRO GAMING
ALEX INGLOT
COMMISSIONER
DAVID HARRIS
MANAGING DIRECTOR
MICHAEL HEINA
INTERNATIONAL SECTOR DIRECTOR ESPORTS AND GAMING
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