Gfinity announced today it has appointed Non-Executive Director Garry Cook as Executive Chairman effective immediately. Cook will take over as Tony Collyer will step down from the Board after four years.
Cook has served as a Non-Executive Director for Gfinity since 2016 and brings to the role extensive experience from the traditional sports field. After 12 years as President and General Manager for Nike’s ‘Jordan Brand’, he became the Chief Executive Officer for the Manchester City Football Club where he lead global strategies and development for the organisation. Most recently Cook held the Chief Global Brand Officer position for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the UFC was sold to WME-IMG, he returned to the UK to consult on sports industry projects relating to strategy and brand management.
“There are multiple opportunities for Gfinity in a rapidly developing sector, one that is forecast to grow to $1.65b (£1.22b) by 2021.” said Cook, “This company is well positioned for the next chapter of growth, both in the UK and internationally and I am looking forward to establishing Gfinity as one of the world’s major sports media brands.”
Gfinity is widely known for its tournament production and most notably the recent success of the Elite Series held at its very own venue in London. The Elite Series hosts regular weekly tournaments in a league structure consisting of top esports organisations like Fnatic, Method and Team Envy, alongside well-known brands such as UNILAD and Hashtag which have moved into esports more recently, and others. The sponsorship additions for the Elite Series continue to stack up as it prepares for the future. While the third season has recently wrapped up, it’s rumoured that Gfinity will take the same model to North America in the coming years.
Esports Insider says: This is a big and exciting move for Gfinity as a company looking to be a global leader in esports. With the success of the Elite Series and other tournaments its hosted, the company has such room and promise for major growth. Adding Cook to an executive role is a smart move as the company looks to keep expanding. We will definitely be keeping our eye on the plans Mr. Cook sets in place for Gfinity for the future.