Today UK esports organisation Excel Esports announce new CEO Tim Reichert (pictured), who has been promoted from the role of COO.
Existing CEO Wouter Sleijffers will become strategic advisor to the board, ‘exploring and developing opportunities for growth and monetisation’, while Excel have also appointed Rosenbelle Ganan as the new director of operations and legal affairs, who will be leading the company’s operational responsibilities across London and Germany.
In a press release, Excel said Tim will ‘take on all business responsibilities and driving the organisation to new heights, and focus on delivering the organisation’s ambitions towards increased revenue, increased community growth and competitive success’.
“Excel is developing into one of the strongest European competitive esports organisations and I am proud to continue paving this path with my colleagues.”
Tim Reichert, Excel Esports
Tim Reichert first joined Excel Esports in late 2021 as esports director, replacing Excel co-founder Kieran Holmes-Darby, who later went on to join Formula E in January 2022. Last summer, Tim became chief operating officer as Excel announced management changes around their London HQ launch party.
Prior to this, Tim worked at FC Shalke 04 Esports, where he spent five years overseeing the growth and development of its esports rosters as head of esports.
Tim burst onto the esports scene in 1997 after co-founding esports organisation SK Gaming alongside his brothers, Ralf and Benjamin Reichert. He then turned to his second passion in life, football, where he became a professional footballer playing for the likes of Rot-Weiss Oberhausen.
Wouter joined Excel Esports in late 2019, and before that, worked as Fnatic’s CEO for four years.
Rosenbelle began her career in esports at Fnatic, spending four years in various leadership roles including finance director and head of legal. She has overseen the legal affairs at Excel for two years and broadened her role to lead an operations team in esports and support the expansion of Excel’s event spaces in London and Berlin.
What Excel management said: ‘We are an ambitious team that constantly looks for new approaches and ways to improve’
Tim Reichert, CEO of Excel Esports, commented: “I am thrilled to be appointed the new CEO of Excel Esports.
“We are an incredibly ambitious team that constantly looks for new approaches and ways to improve, and improvement can only happen with change. I am very happy to welcome Rose into the leadership team and to continue working with Wouter.
“Excel is developing into one of the strongest European competitive esports organisations and I am proud to continue paving this path with my colleagues.”
Wouter Sleijffers, strategic advisor to the board at Excel Esports, added: “My journey at Excel Esports started in October 2019. After more than three years at the helm, and nearly eight years as the CEO of two successful esports organisations, it is the right time to hand over the reins. Tim is the right person to take Excel Esports further and I look forward to welcoming Rose to her new position. I’m excited for this new chapter and to continue developing Excel’s future whilst still supporting the team under Tim’s leadership.”
Rosenbelle Ganan, director of operations and legal affairs at Excel Esports, said: “I’m honoured to continue working alongside a supportive group of investors, in JRJ, and an experienced team of leaders, Tim, Wouter, Oskar and Mark, who steered Excel to new heights in 2022. I’m very excited to be part of a team that is a rising star in esports and building a dynamic brand.”
Excel in the League of Legends LEC
Last summer, we interviewed Tim Reichert about Excel’s progress in the LEC, with Tim saying the team can do some damage to their opponents.
Excel Esports announce new CEO Tim Reichert as the LEC is weeks away from getting underway in 2023. Excel is one of ten teams in the League of Legends EMEA Championship, which starts up again from January 21st 2023.
Last month, Excel Esports announced their 2023 LEC League of Legends roster, with bot-laner Patrik joined by four new first-team players.
Excel reached the LEC playoffs for the first time in early 2022, then Excel reached the Summer LEC 2022 playoffs too, but didn’t manage to progress from either.
The news comes after Excel left the NLC and disbanded their academy team, JD XL.
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.
