Appointment of Special Advisor to the Board

Guild Esports PLC

29 January 2024

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, as retained as part of the law of England and Wales. Upon the publication of this announcement via the Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Press Release

29 January 2024

Guild Esports PLC

("Guild Esports", "Guild", or "the Company")

Appointment of Special Advisor to the Board

Guild Esports PLC (LSE: GILD; OTCQB: GULDF), a global gaming-focused media business, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathan Pillai as Special Advisor to the Board of Directors with immediate effect.

Mr Pillai has more than two decades' experience as an operator, builder and investor of blue-chip sport and entertainment properties including Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, Williams Racing, World Rally Championship and SailGP. He also has significant exposure to capital markets and high growth territories.

Mr Pillai is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Caerus Ventures ("Caerus"), an early stage investor and developer of key technologies transforming sport, music, entertainment and gaming. Caerus recently partnered with Swiss non-profit, the NEAR Foundation, to launch their first fund. Previously, Mr Pillai led M&A and new ventures across the sports and entertainment spectrum in his role as Head of Global Business Development at Endeavor-owned IMG. While at Endeavor, he sat on the board of FC Diez, the football media company established to operate the Champions League for UEFA's equivalent in Latin America, CONMEBOL.

Mr Pillai additionally served as the operating partner for Endeavor's early stage-investment into SailGP, the racing league owned by Oracle's Co-Founder and former CEO, Larry Ellison. In under three seasons he led a team which helped grow broadcast coverage to over 190 territories, increased commercial revenues, doubled the number of races and sold teams to the likes of F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Mr Pillai's extensive experience across motor sport, the Middle East and transformative technologies aligns with Guild's strategic expansion into new growth territories and industries.

Mr Pillai joins as Special Advisor to the Board alongside Stephen Duval, who has served as Special Advisor since his appointment in July 2023. Mr Duval's 25 years of experience across the sports, media and entertainment industries in Europe and the US, where he has deployed and advised on deals with an aggregate value in excess of $5 billion, continues to bolster Guild.

Jocelin Caldwell, will be stepping down from the Board and leaving the Company with immediate effect to focus on her other business interests. The Company intends to appoint a replacement Non-Executive Director and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, commented: "I'm delighted to welcome Nathan as Special Advisor to the Board. Nathan brings a blend of corporate and entrepreneurial experience leveraging the scale and reach of sports and entertainment platforms. This marks Guild's second high-calibre Special Advisor appointment, and Nathan's expertise in securing global brand partnerships and reaching new growth territories positions him as an asset to Guild as we continue to expand our international presence."

"The Board thank Jocelin for her meaningful contribution and wish her well for the future. The search for a replacement Non-Executive Director will start as soon as possible."

For further information please contact:

Guild Esports
Jasmine Skee Chief Executive	via Tancredi [phone]
Tennyson Securities
Corporate Broker Peter Krens	[phone]
Tancredi Intelligent Communication Media Relations
Helen Humphrey Charlie Hobbs Jasmine Gadhavi [e-mail]	[phone] [phone] [phone]

About Guild Esports:

Guild Esports PLC is a global gaming-focused media business that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our in-house training academy aims to attract and nurture the best esports talent, and our goal is to provide the ultimate entertainment experience alongside a distinctive lifestyle brand authentic to the esports community worldwide. Guild is led by an experienced management team of entertainment sector and esports veterans and co-owned by David Beckham. The Company is headquartered in the UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GILD) and on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States (ticker: GULDF). Please visit www.guildesports.com for more information.

 

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