Livewire has appointed its executive and senior management team across creative, product, marketing and HR, to solidify its position as the leading gaming ecosystem expert and trusted partner to brands and agencies.
Joining the global gametech company is Gareth Leeding, who rounds out Livewire’s executive team as chief innovation officer. He will be responsible for accelerating brands into the world of gaming through innovative and immersive advertising.
Leeding was most recently APAC head of creative strategy for Snap Inc. and has an impressive 15 years of experience working with global brands on their strategic and creative direction.
He has led global teams and won over 60 international awards for the likes of adidas, Guinness, Pepsi, Pringles, Uber and YouTube. Joining as the first creative globally at We Are Social agency and rising to the role of executive creative director, he was integral in building the team, client portfolio and profile of the business, establishing it as the world’s largest and most awarded socially-led creative agency.
Additional hires across key areas of the business will support the executive team’s strategic roadmap:
• Tamim Noorzad joins Livewire as director of product with 15 years of experience in growing product teams and foundations, including at Airtasker and Zip Co. With superior UX and analytical problem-solving skills, he will add to Livewire’s high-performance product team, evolving the product ecosystem to continually meet the needs of Livewire’s clients and the gaming community.
• Max Hegerman has been appointed marketing and communications director, with experience in business leadership and strategic and creative direction across gaming, advertising and communications, both in-house and in-agency. He is a globally awarded and strategically creative brand builder with over 25 years’ experience successfully elevating businesses, agencies and gaming environments in the U.S., China, India and across Australia for brands such as Nike, Oakley, Apple, Electronic Arts and Tencent. Max will be responsible for taking the Livewire brand to the next level by creating high impact communications strategies across its brand portfolio globally.
• As the newly appointed people and culture director, Christine Storey joins Livewire following 18 years building high performance teams at global corporations such as Gartner and Revlon as well as technology start-ups like OnDeck and SocietyOne. At Livewire, Christine will lead employee engagement, working to align HR systems and business strategy to attract and retain the industry’s best talent.
Livewire’s chief innovation officer, Gareth Leeding said he was looking forward to accelerating brands into the world of gaming to make it an essential and enduring part of the marketing mix.
“Livewire is turbocharging the opportunity for brands in gaming. By combining the biggest inventory of in-game advertising opportunities with strategic and creative excellence, we have limitless potential to define the next generation of brand engagement. The business is attracting the world’s biggest brands and growing fast as we enable them to reach billions of eyeballs. It’s incredibly exciting to be joining at a pivotal time for a business on the brink of extensive growth.”
Livewire’s CEOs and co-founders, Brad Manuel and Indy Khabra added: “With rapid expansion comes the need for exceptional leaders and a continually evolving strategy to solidify our position as an industry leader in gametech. This opportunity is resonating with incredible talent and we are very fortunate to have again appointed highly skilled individuals who will drive Livewire’s continued growth and success.”
With a strong focus on building an empowering and supportive workplace to attract and retain the best people, the executive and senior management team will be responsible for delivering ground breaking work for brands and gaming publishers, and supporting the development of a world leading culture.
The appointments follows the company’s rapid expansion across North America, Australia, UK, South East Asia, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and India; the announcement of key brand partnerships, including Uber Eats, Amazon Music UK and NBL League on its landmark deal with the NBA 2K League; and the appointment of senior executives – US-based chief commercial officer (CCO) Lionel Sim, and Australian-based chief operating officer (COO), Sarah La Roche and chief financial officer (CFO), Michelle Sheehan.
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Top image: Gareth Leeding, Christine Storey and Max Hegerman