SkillOnNet Expands Partnership with Eyecon

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Former Kindred Group and William Hill executive appointed to establish and drive the agency’s Performance Marketing division

Global marketing agency Square In The Air has appointed Mark Armitage as a Director with responsibility for heading up the company’s Performance Marketing division.

Industry veteran Armitage has worked in iGaming for more than 16 years. He previously led marketing teams for operators Kindred Group and William Hill with his experience also including roles at Paddy Power and Rank Interactive.

Armitage will determine strategy and execution while driving business development for the new offering, which supports clients in defining and delivering on their marketing KPIs, through services including affiliate management, biddable media and mobile acquisition.

Founding Performance Marketing clients include AK Bets, Star Sports and Planet Sport Bet with Square In The Air engaged to launch the AK Bets affiliate program, helping make it one of the United Kingdom’s fastest-growing brands. It has also helped Star Sports and Planet Sport Bet more than double customer acquisition since taking over both firms’ affiliate programs as well as working with the four brands to support their Paid Social strategy with the aim of driving traffic and increasing acquisition to their sites and associated apps.

As part of the new Performance Marketing division, Square In The Air has hired sector specialists Hassan Mohammed and John Totten to bolster the team.

Mohammed joins as a Senior Account Manager with deep experience across multiple sectors both publisher-side (Future Publishing, Ziff Davis) and agency-side (iProspect, Astound Commerce). Account Manager Totten previously served as Affiliates and Partnerships Manager at Betfred.

The new hires take Square In The Air’s headcount to 56, a 17% increase year-on-year, with staff based in London, Manchester and New York working across its dedicated PR, Social Media, Design, Video and Performance Marketing teams.

“Having been previously availed of Square In The Air’s services while working operator-side, I had experienced first-hand their quality and professionalism,” Armitage said. “I’m delighted to have been offered the opportunity to join the company and leverage my experience in the affiliates and performance marketing space as we expand our already wide-ranging offering to clients across the industry.”

“Mark’s appointment and the creation of our Performance Marketing division is a major landmark for Square In The Air,” the Managing Director for Square In The Air, Bill Esdaile, said. “As a leader in the field, Mark is a valuable addition to our management team and, alongside Hassan and John, we are adding a wealth of experience. Through the introduction of top talent and new service offerings that are driving and serving industry demand, we are ensuring that the agency continues to grow at pace.”

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Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov (pictured), one of the most decorated and famous players in CS2, a Major champion and winner of the Intel Grand Slam, is moving to Virtus.pro.

“The arrival of star players always generates excitement within the club and among its fans,” the Chief Executive Officer for Virtus.pro, Nikolai Petrossian, said. “Denis is a well-known figure in the world of eSports with an impressive list of major victories and exceptional skill. Few players won both at Major and Intel Grand Slam events.

“Our CS2 roster is strong thanks to teamwork, a clearly defined playstyle and the individual talents of our players. Transferring players with outstanding skills to improve specific areas is a common practice in sports. I am confident that Denis joining will give a powerful boost to the team in the upcoming challenges in Dallas, London and beyond.

“Denis will replace Nikolay ‘mir’ Bityukov in the VP lineup. Nikolay has been a loyal and valuable member of our team and we express our gratitude for his contributions. Nikolay ‘mir’ Bityukov is open to offers from other teams.”

“Virtus.pro is a top team,” Sharipov said. “The core of the roster has won a Major not a while ago and all the players are in their prime and ready for victories right now. We share the same ambitions and goals. Besides, I’m also excited about the idea of playing with Jame as he’s one of the most unique IGLs in the game. Can’t wait to adapt to my new team and start doing what I came here for, winning trophies.”

Sharipov has dozens of victories at elite tournaments, including:

• PGL Major Stockholm 2021
• Intel Grand Slam Season 3
• BLAST Premier: Global Final 2020
• IEM XVI – Cologne
• EPL Season 14
• BLAST Premier: World Final 2021

In addition, Sharipov was among the top-ten best players of the year by HLTV four times.

Updated Virtus.pro CS:GO roster:

• Dzhami ‘Jame’ Ali (captain)
• Evgeny ‘FL1T’ Lebedev
• David ‘n0rb3r7’ Daniyelyan
• Petr ‘fame’ Bolyshev
• Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov
• Dastan ‘dastan’ Akbayev (coach)
• Pavel ‘PASHANOJ’ Legostaev (analyst)
• Nikolay ‘mir’ Bityukov (substitute)

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NODWIN Gaming, the leading South Asian gaming and eSports company, today announces the agreement with the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to become the portfolio management company (PMC) for key global emerging markets across South and Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Southeast Asia. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in NODWIN Gaming’s ambition in driving the growth of gaming and eSports globally, by leveraging its expertise and leadership position in emerging markets worldwide.

The GEF convenes the dynamic, ever-evolving eSports ecosystem including the adjacent industries and diverse network of global impact partners. Established in 2019, the GEF has flourished to over 155 member federations engaging billions of ‘#worldconnected’ athletes, players and fans.

Firmly dedicated to its mission and universal values, the GEF has evolved to become an authentic voice of the eSports community, elevating the industry’s legitimacy and credibility at a global scale. Furthermore, the GEF plays a pivotal role in cultivating emerging technological development, user, fan and brand experiences that enable innovation in gaming while ensuring the sustainable growth for eSports and limitless opportunities that inspire the world’s hyper-connected youth.

With strategic partnerships with industry giants and a proven track record of organizing gaming events and lifestyle festivals, NODWIN Gaming has now acquired exclusive rights to create and market GEF-licensed eSports events in more than 20 countries such as India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Dubai, Bahrain, Jordan, Thailand and Vietnam in addition to the entire continent of Africa.

As a PMC, NODWIN Gaming also secures non-exclusive rights to host GEF-licensed events globally, which paves the way for synergistic collaborations amongst the company’s subsidiaries and strategic partners worldwide. NODWIN Gaming’s recent acquisition of the Turkey-based Ninja Gaming readies the company for endeavors in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa while its Singapore-based experiential marketing powerhouse branded focuses on the Asia Pacific region. With its equity investment earlier this year into Freaks 4U Gaming, a leading full-service gaming and eSports agency in Germany, NODWIN Gaming will tap into potential opportunities in developing GEF-licensed events in non-exclusive regions through the agency’s European as well as endemic and non-endemic network.

The co-founder and Managing Director for NODWIN Gaming, Akshat Rathee, shares his insight on the partnership with the GEF: “The world of eSports is evolving towards true global celebration of eSports titles across the world. The GEF truly epitomizes the hopes and aspirations of all the developing world markets that NODWIN Gaming seeks to develop. We believe our partnership with the GEF will bring the best of eSports opportunities to the youth of the emerging world.”

The Chief Operating Officer for the GEF, Mario Cilenti, commented on the partnership: “We are thrilled to have NODWIN Gaming on board as our PMC for the South Asia, Central Asia and Africa markets. Its capabilities and extensive experience makes it ideal partners to advance the GEF’s mission and further engage with eSports communities across key growth regions.”

For more information, please visit NODWIN Gaming on X or the official website.