League of Legends has a new global head of esports, after John Needham was promoted to replace Jarred Kennedy and Whalen Rozelle, who will remain with Riot Games in a new capacity.
Needham has been with Riot Games since 2017 and was most recently the managing director for both the LoL European Championship and the LoL Championship Series. He previously worked in gaming at Microsoft and was the CEO of Gazillion Entertainment and Cryptic Studios, both game developers.
Needham will not only oversee international affairs, according to the Esports Observer, he will also look to add regional LoL leagues. Kennedy and Rozelle will move to the advancement of new businesses and esports efforts in the company.
"Riot's aspirations are growing, and we are moving three of our proven leaders to accomplish even bigger things, on games and beyond games," Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent said in a release. "John's global experience, track record with our regional esports leagues, and true passion for gaming will accelerate the evolution of League of Legends into one of the leading sports and entertainment properties in the world."
--Field Level Media