XR Games announces Ken Beaty as Chairman, Colin Greene as Non-Executive Dir

• Ken Beaty, former Non-Executive Chairman of Sumo Group, to join the XR Games board as a Chairman

• Colin Greene, former Apple Japan COO and S. Korea CEO, joins as Non-Executive Director

• Appointments follow the studio’s recent £6m investment round and the studio’s recent appointment of Sonia Kerr as CFO

Ken Beaty (left) and Colin Greene (right)

Leeds-based VR Games studio XR Games has announced it has appointed former Chairman of Sumo Group Ken Beaty as their Chairman, and former Apple US Consumer Retail leader Collin Greene as a Non-Executive Director.

This exciting pair of appointments follows XR Games’ recent £6m investment round in July, led by existing investors act media ventures, Praetura Ventures and Maven.

These appointments bring invaluable experience and expertise to the board of the UK studio, which itself has been experiencing rapid growth since the release of ‘Zombieland: Headshot Fever’ in 2021.

The studio’s recent £6m investment is being used to move the company to a larger studio in Leeds city centre, while expanding the team to work on multiple unannounced projects with leading global publishers. It will also enable the business to focus on original IP development, increase work-for-hire opportunities, and develop further research into AR/VR technologies and platforms.

Ken Beaty’s appointment

Following a 20 year career with European Private Equity firm 3i (www.3i.com), Ken has spent the last c10 years as an Independent non executive director and Chairman working with the boards and stakeholders of private companies, public companies and charities across a wide range of sectors. Ken is focussed on bringing to bear his extensive experience as board chair and investor to help organisations set ambitious strategies and deliver growth and value for stakeholders.

In 2014, Ken was appointed non-executive chairman of Sumo Group (www.sumogroupltd.com); the UK's largest independent developer of AAA-rated video games. During Ken’s time at the business, the company grew in value from an EV of £14m to >£300m, increased employees from <100 in two locations to >750 in eight locations, made three acquisitions and underwent two changes of ownership including an AIM listing in Dec 2017. On 17 January 2022 Sumo Group plc was sold to Chinese technology group Tencent Holdings for £919m.

Colin Greene’s appointment

A graduate in Economics from the University of Liverpool, Colin has spent over 30 years working at the very largest tech companies such as NCR, Intel and Apple. Most recently he was based in Apple’s Cupertino HQ, leading their US Consumer Retail business, with direct responsibility for a >$10B P&L. Beyond the US, Colin has more than a decade of experience living and working in Asia, with COO and Country CEO roles for Apple-based in Tokyo and Seoul. Since returning to the UK and the North West (he is based in Lancashire) Colin has had advisory roles in a number of tech and fintech startups.

Sonia Kerr’s appointment

Sonia is a finance director with extensive experience of financial operational leadership & transformation in high growth and turnaround scenarios; combined with 20 years’ experience of corporate M&A; fundraising; startups; and cross border expansion.

Comments

XR Games’ Founder and CEO Bobby Thandi had the following to say about the recent appointments to the XR Games board.

“We are so pleased to be welcoming Ken and Colin to the XR family. It’s a huge milestone for us, and a testament to our growth potential and journey so far.

To see such industry giants from the gaming and tech industry express such enthusiasm and ambition to help drive XR Games forward as a true innovator within the VR/AR space is really rewarding. This continues to reinforce that our studio is making great progress in our mission and we can’t wait to see what the future holds with Ken and Colin by our side.

Further, Sonia has been an amazing addition as our CFO. Her financial expertise and emotional intelligence is off the charts. Sonia was also instrumental in closing our $7m fund raise.”

Ken Beaty commented “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the XR Games board at this key stage in its development. Bobby and his team have built an incredible platform for growth based on deep understanding of the AR/VR gaming space, huge creativity, energy and ambition and an extensive global network of relationships with publishers, IP holders and technologies. I am really looking forward to working with the team, board directors and shareholders to help drive this next phase of rapid growth.”

Colin Greene had the following to say about joining the XR Games board “I look at XR Games and see the beginning of a true pioneer within the virtual and augmented reality space. Seeing what Bobby and team are working on with the likes of Sony Pictures VR is truly inspiring to watch, and I’m privileged to be joining them for the next step of this journey.”

ENDS

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Links

● XR Games Website: http://www.xrgames.io

● XR Games LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xrgames/

● XR Games Twitter: https://twitter.com/xrgamesvr

● XR Games Press Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19wZlaeJPS4jgOCRPKB2pXwlQCYP2SVcC?usp=sharing

Media Contacts

● Mat Murray, Head of Marketing, XR Games: mat.murray@xrgames.io