Mentioned in this article Teams: Fnatic, G2 Esports, McLaren

Fnatic has announced the appointment of Nick Fry, the former CEO of the Mercedes AMG Formula One Team, as its new head of commercial strategy.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]According to the announcement, Fnatic will leverage Fry’s experience in performance management and media rights.[/perfectpullquote]

Fry is also the founder of advisory firm Stonehaven Partners. According to the announcement press release, Fnatic will leverage Stonehaven as well as Fry’s experience in performance management and media rights.

“When it comes to esports, we’re in the forefront in terms of innovation and delivering value for the brands, leagues and partners we work with,” said Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of Fnatic, in the press release. “Now is the time to build on the momentum we’ve created – Nick has experience that will aid us in doing exactly that.”

In the past year, Fnatic has further developed its brand outside of pro competitions, partnered with music streaming service Deezer, esports reality series GAMERZ, and smartphone manufacturer OnePlus. Fry joins the organization after spending 11 years working in Formula One—having notably led team Honda when Jenson Button took the first victory of his career at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Fry is far from the only Formula One name active in esports. McLaren appointed Rudy van Buren as an official sim driver following his World’s Fastest Gamer victory, while G2 Esports formed its own esports racing team with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.

When contacted about Fry’s appointment, Fnatic founder and chairman Sam Mathews told The Esports Observer: “Nick is an incredible sports entrepreneur who in just a short space of time went from CEO of Aston Martin to owning his own F1 team in Brawn GP, winning the championship, then selling it to become the CEO of Mercedes AMG F1 Team.

“Joining Fnatic is a coup for esports and someone I’m immensely excited to work with for many years to come to help advance our business and the ecosystem as a whole.”

Disclosure: Jens Hilgers is co-owner of G2 Esports and partner at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures. BITKRAFT Esports Ventures is an investor in Esports Business Solutions UG, the company behind The Esports Observer.