Naz Aletaha has been internally promoted to the position of global head of League of Legends esports, Riot Games announced today. Aletaha previously served as the head of global esports partnerships and business development at Riot and has been with the company for nearly 10 years.
Aletaha will oversee all 12 domestic professional League of Legends leagues around the world, in addition to the game’s three annual international events: the Mid-Season Invitational, All-Star Event, and the World Championship. Aletaha will “also be at the center of collaboration internally within Riot Games on its expanding portfolio of esports, games, and entertainment,” according to Riot.
“Naz’s impact at Riot Games has been impressive for a decade, with eight of those years driving the esports business development efforts as a member of our leadership team,” said John Needham, global head of esports at Riot. “Her tireless efforts, business acumen, and passion for our game, fans, partners, and players makes her the perfect fit to lead us into the next decade of LoL Esports.”
Needham has served as Riot’s global head of esports since 2020. While he oversees the structure of professional VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, and other Riot titles, the responsibilities surrounding League will be handed off to Aletaha effective immediately.
Riot’s announcement of a new global head of League esports comes in concordance with the game’s most prestigious professional event of the year, the World Championship. Each year, Worlds draws in millions of viewers from around the globe, with dozens of the strongest League teams in the professional scene coming to compete for the game’s ultimate prize: the Summoner’s Cup.
“LoL Esports was built from the passion of many,” Aletaha said in today’s statement from Riot. “From Rioters to the pro teams to our partners and most importantly our fans, our community took a bold vision and made it a reality: to build a global sport. I’m honored to have been part of this community these many years. This is the future of sport, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to play a role in that future.”
Twenty-two League teams from 14 countries around the world will be competing in this year’s League World Championship in Reykjavík, Iceland. The tournament is set to last throughout the month, culminating with a grand final match on Nov. 6.
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