The UK Esports Team Committee (UKETC) has today announced a change of leadership with immediate effect.
Daniel Chung (COO and co-founder of MNM Gaming) and Jeff Simpkins (COO of Resolve Esports) have been voted by the committee to the roles of Chair and Vice Chair respectively, for 2023.
Outgoing Chair Oliver Weingarten (LDN UTD) and Vice Chair Stuart Brown (Fnatic) have now stepped down from their respective tenure, but they will both remain on the committee as members, and have agreed to continue to support Daniel and Jeff in their new roles.
The UKETC is a collective of UK-based esports teams, formed in 2021 as a ‘committee of like-minded individuals, with the aim of progressing and growing the UK esports industry, and representing the voice of teams within wider industry discussions’.
In late 2021, Wolves, Guild, Man City, Method and others joined the UKETC, joining the likes of Endpoint, Excel, Fnatic, Futwiz, LDN UTD, London Royal Ravens, London Spitfire, Resolve, MNM Gaming and Vexed.
Daniel and Jeff are both founding members of the UKETC.
“It’s an honour to be elected by my peers to represent the UKETC as the Chairman. Olly and Stu have done a fantastic job moving the UKETC’s forwards to reach our goals. With Jeff taking on the role of Vice Chair, we will continue to build on the UKETC and improve esports for UK teams.”
Daniel Chung, MNM Gaming
The news comes after the UKETC announced the UKETC Principles last year, signed by all UKETC member organisations.
The committee aims to bring ‘strategic growth for the UK in terms of bringing more esports events to the UK, working with government officials to increase awareness and status, and providing a collective platform for UK esports organisations to be heard’.
“It was a privilege to be initially elected to Chair by my peers, and I feel in a short space of time we have shown that the teams can work together for a common goal – to improve the infrastructure of esports,” said Oliver Weingarten, Chair, LDN UTD.
“There is a lot more work still required, many issues to be tackled, but the foundations are in place and I know that Dan and Jeff are well placed to continue to make strides, and will have the full support of all the members.”
“It’s an honour to be elected by my peers to represent the UKETC as the Chairman. Olly and Stu have done a fantastic job moving the UKETC’s forwards to reach our goals.” added Daniel Chung, Chair, UKETC. “With Jeff taking on the role of Vice Chair, we will continue to build on the UKETC and improve esports for UK teams.”
Applications to join the UKETC are open and reviewed periodically, and can be made on the UKETC website.
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.
