UK esports organisation Excel (XL) Esports have announced some management changes and promotions after finalising their new offices in Shoreditch, London.
Current esports director Tim Reichert has been promoted to chief operating officer (COO), while Oskar Sisi will take on the role of marketing and brand director, having previously been creative director.
In his new role as COO, Tim will work closely alongside CEO Wouter Sleijffers to focus on the Excel brand and its competitive rosters, and Wouter will further focus on the broader vision and future for the business in gaming and digital IP.
The announcement follows the launch of the XL headquarters in central London. Excel first announced they would be opening their London HQ close to local rivals Fnatic after securing £17m in funding last summer.
The 5,660 sq ft facility boasts streaming rooms, productions studios and space for Excel’s community, teams, fans, partners and the wider gaming industry to access. Excel says the new HQ will ‘aim to be a centralised place for the UK gaming community and a hub from where Excel will grow its operational footprint to Europe’.
Excel also said they will ‘continue to build on their competitive success while growing and nurturing their British and international community’. The org will look to ‘accelerate its growth through new initiatives and strategic partnerships focusing on its content development and creator economy’.
Since Tim Reichert’s appointment at Excel in October 2021, Excel says he’s successfully driven the development and growth of Excel’s esports rosters which have included the entrance into new titles, the signing of new talents such as four-time back-to-back LEC winner Michael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle, who joined Excel earlier this year, and an increase in team performance including Excel’s first-ever LEC playoffs spot.
“Today marks another milestone with the expanded roles of Tim and Oskar, both seasoned veterans and innovating visionaries. We have also created a hub where all of Excel, and the UK esports and gaming community, can gather.”
Wouter Sleijffers, Excel Esports
As creative director, Oskar recently worked to launch the XL playoffs campaign, which gave away limited edition items via different challenges, as well as engaging with Excel talent and LEC casters, with thousands of people taking part across Excel’s social channels.
As marketing and brand director, Oskar ‘will extend his remit to Excel’s marketing efforts and continue to spearhead Excel’s brand vision and culture, focusing on growing its community through engaging and industry-leading content’.
Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of Excel Esports, commented: “Over the past year, we’ve significantly invested in talent across the board and worked to give Excel Esports the home it deserves. I’m very proud of where we are now, of our world-class talent on stage and off stage, our strong and growing community and our valuable and industry-leading partners. We have also now created a hub where all of Excel, and the UK esports and gaming community, can gather.
“Today marks another milestone with the expanded roles of Tim and Oskar, both seasoned veterans and innovating visionaries. We’re working on our future and are looking forward to coming out with more news in due course, all from our XL HQ, the breathing new heart of Excel Esports!”
Oskar Sisi, marketing and brand director of Excel Esports, added: ‘I’m excited to take on a broader role at Excel. As a leadership team, we all share the same vision and understand the importance of our community and innovating in the space. We aim to create memorable experiences with the community and empower them on a creative level.
“Over the last few months, we’ve done tremendous work on the brand and the quality of our content, and it’s only the beginning for us. With our creativity and usage of new technologies, we will take our fans on a monumental journey.”
Excel says that over the last 12 months, the org have seen ‘significant growth in all areas of the business with new industry-leading partnerships in Just Eat and JD Sports’, the expansion of Excel’s content creator family and now the opening of its official London headquarters, the XL HQ. Caedrel re-joined Excel recently and Excel also signed streamer Leah.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
