2018 Speakers

Dr. Brett Abarbanel is Director of Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, International Gaming Institute, with a joint appointment at the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. Dr. Abarbanel’s research covers Internet gambling policy and behavior, esports and gambling, operations and technology use, and responsible gambling and community relations. Dr. Abarbanel is the co-executive editor of the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal and editorial board member at International Gambling Studies and Harvard’s Division on Addiction’s Brief Addiction Science Information Source. Dr. Abarbanel serves on the International Advisory Panel for Singapore’s National Council on Problem Gambling; and she is a founding director of the Nevada Esports Alliance, which promotes development of best practices at the intersection of the esports and regulated gambling industries.

Dr. Abarbanel was named to the 2016 Global Gaming Business 40 Under 40 and received the Global Gaming Expo and The Innovation Group 2015 Emerging Leader Award. She completed her B.S. in Statistics at Brown University and M.S. and Ph.D. at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Brett Abarbanel will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

As the Regional Manager, Chris oversees the business and operations of Riot Games within Southeast Asia. His priority has always been in ensuring that players of Riot Games’ League of Legends is a game for gamers, and works closely with the developer team towards achieving that. He believes that a perfect game is one which comes alive when technology meets entertainment, and strives to achieve that through League of Legends.

Prior to his regional role, Chris was the Country Manager of Vietnam for over two years at Riot Games. During that time, he led the opening of Vietnam’s first Esports Stadium, and has pushed for the growth of the country’s own esports industry.

Chris specialized in both Economics and Biology at Brandeis University. He previously took on roles in consulting and advertising for about 18 years before landing his foot in Riot Games. Chris has always had the passion for gaming and it was only natural for him to eventually end up within the industry.

Chris Tran is the General Manager – Southeast Asia at Riot Gaming. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Danny Chang have over 20 years’ experience in IT industry including distributors and manufacturers. He has been working in ASEAN for over 16 years as IT engineer, Product Marketing, and Sales Director. As the GM of Mineski International, he is responsible to the board for the successful operation and management of the company. I helped pioneer business models in eSport BU. He commenced as the GM in May 2017, having previously been sponsoring Mineski eSport events for 6 years and starting esport league in SEA since 2010.

Danny is the General Manager of Mineski. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Dave Harris, Managing Director from Guinevere Capital Esports & Entertainment will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Eric Jou, APAC Business Development & Partnerships of ESL Gaming will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Having been within the Games and Esports Industry since 1997 and recognized with the German Game Developer Award as well as winner of the European Games Award, Frank has a verifiable history of commitment to growth and expansion of businesses in both mature and emerging markets across the Asia Pacific Region, the US, and Europe. 24+ years of corporate leadership and entrepreneurship in the media, gaming and exhibition industries comes with certain expertise: Frank adepts at achieving maximum operational output with minimal resource expenditure. Frank has also consistently exceeded performance goals. Through strategy and his expertise in exhibitions and conferences (B2B, B2C), he established GDC Europe as one of the most important game industry conferences in the world and Games Convention Asia (GC Asia) as one of the main industry events in Asia.

Frank started to work in the Esports Sector in 2000 and created the first world-leading Business Platform for eSports, International Esports Conference (ESCONF), in 2004. At the end of 2004, Frank founded the German Esports Association and was elected Chairman of the German Esports Association. In 2008, he was elected as Vice President of the International Esports Federation.

Being part of an international network of senior level relationships through active participation on boards, and industry associations, Frank enjoys his position as global esports & games industry leader. He is focused on developing overall corporate growth strategies and partnerships in the areas of media, publishing, sponsorship and entertainment.

Frank Sliwka, COO Asia at ESL Gaming, will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Hai Ng, a world recognized leader in esports, is co-founder of Spawn Point, a strategic advisory firm that operates at the intersection of gaming and esports by providing those in esports insights into the highly regulated casino industry, while at the same time explaining the world, language and mindset of esports gamers and developers to casinos. Hai knows how to interact with game players and he has a complete understanding of the thinking of game developers who aren’t obligated to follow the rigid rules of regulated casinos and face little of the scrutiny casinos face from regulators. He routinely speaks publicly about esports to the gaming industry and collaborates with the Nevada Esports Alliance, UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, and Esports Integrity Coalition on emerging esports issues. This past year, Hai spoke at many conferences introducing audiences to the burgeoning world of esports and its tremendous growth potential. Hai’s focus is to improve understanding and catalyze business opportunities between the esports and gaming industries globally, at conferences including G2E and G2E Asia, iGA in Macau, and The Esports Conference in Sydney. Hai also works with governments and gaming regulatory bodies on how esports play a significant role in developing new business opportunities. With more than three decades of experience in technology, and more than a decade in gaming, Hai has developed proprietary methods that bring new, valuable, long-term customers through the door. He has created structures, rules and has organized specific events and games to attract and retain millennials, the customers that will eat, drink and gamble at your property. He is a regular contributor to iGaming Business, and section editor of iGaming Business North America’s Fantasy and Esports Section. He is also a co-founder and owner of Chaos Theory, Singapore’s first professional esports team.

An expert technologist, Hai is also co-founding partner at Neomancer, a technology strategy and management group. He is credited with designing and orchestrating the first AR demo on the floor of the NYSE and the first AR tool deployed on the floor of NYMEX. Over the last several years, he has been a technology ambassador for Open-Source VR, showcasing the opportunities that VR can bring to the motion picture and iGaming industries.

Under his leadership at Neomancer, the company forged a development relationship with Continent 8 Technologies that led to Hai’s appointment as CIO. During his tenure, Hai and his team helped the company expand into Asia.

Hai will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Jason was brought into Alisports to manage the China event and marketing teams, as well as to build out international capabilities for the company. Jason is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of esport competition IPs around the world. He began his career with several successful tech start-ups in Canada, all centered around gaming and esports. He has been involved in VoDs, live streaming, fantasy and wagering, and led APAC esports for one of the largest game publishers in the world.

Jason Fung, Global eSports Director at Alisports, will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

John Lee is Managing Partner for Blockchain Valley Ventures (BVV), a blockchain investment fund headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, as well as a Venture Partner for True Global Ventures (TGV), a $1 billion plus venture capital fund based in Singapore.  Most recently, John was Executive Chairman, Asia for ESL, the largest eSports league in the world, and is currently a board member to eSports teams in the US, Europe and Asia.  Prior to ESL, he held management roles at several video games companies including Bethseda, idSoft and Time Warner Interactive.  Earlier in his career, he was a associate at Softbank Venture Capital and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.   John currently sits on multiple public boards and is an active investor and advisor to ICOs and the emerging STO space, and is an advisor to the Futurama Blockchain Summit.

John Lee is the Former Executive Chairman – Asia of ESL Gaming. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Lars Lien is the CEO and co-founder of Luckbox, a pioneering and fully licensed esports betting platform preparing for launch in early 2019.

Lars formerly held operational roles with PokerStars and GosuGamers and Sony Online Entertainment. He has combined his wealth of experience in iGaming with his expertise in cryptocurrencies and passion for esports to help build Luckbox, a crowdsale-supported project with integrity, fairness and authenticity at its heart.

In August 2018 Luckbox became the first crypto-supported esports platform to be awarded a top-level gambling licence in the Isle of Man and he and his team are now in the final stages of product development with launch on the horizon.

Lars Lien is the CEO of Luckbox. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Leonid Shmatenko joined LALIVE in 2017 and is a member of the international arbitration team, specialising in international commercial and investment arbitration. He has been involved as counsel and secretary in over thirty international arbitration proceedings conducted in German, English and French.

Leonid Shmatenko is a Student Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of several international arbitration associations, including the Young International Council for Commercial Arbitration (Young ICCA), the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS) and DIS40, the LCIA Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG) and ASA Below 40. As of May 2018 Leonid Shmatenko is also member of the “Russian Committee” of the DIS, being inter alia responsible for the translation of the 2018 DIS Arbitration Rules into Russian.

Before joining LALIVE, Leonid Shmatenko worked at Kantenwein Zimmermann Fox Kröck & Partner in Munich and as a foreign attorney at Orrick Herrington Sutcliffe LLP in Paris. He initially trained with Derains & Gharavi in Paris and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in Düsseldorf. He also completed internships with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in Paris and Clayton Utz in Sydney focusing mostly on domestic and international arbitration. Between 2011 and 2013 he worked as a research and teaching assistant at Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf where he taught administrative law and investment arbitration.

Leonid Shmatenko is an Associate at LALIVE. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Michael Maerz is Managing Director Asia at Sportradar. Michael first joined the company in January 2015 as Managing Director Betting, where he was in charge of the development of Betradar’s two main product groups, Pre-Match Odds Services and Live Odds Services, as well as Esports.

He now oversees sales of Betradar’s betting products and services as well as Sportradar’s b2b and product development in North and SE Asia.
Prior to joining Sportradar, Michael held various positions with several online and retail gaming operators over a period of almost twenty years. Making history by accepting the first ever online bet with Intertops in 1996, Michael continued to grow the business as CEO of Intertops Antigua until 2005 when he moved back to Europe for a short stint as COO of Mybet before overseeing the acquisition and integration of Gamebookers as Director Sportsbetting at PartyGaming in 2006.

After the merger with bwin, Michael headed up the CRM and BI units of the combined entity as Director Sports Marketing before joining Liga Stavok as Director Sportsbetting in 2012.
Michael is based in Gibraltar.

Michael Maerz, Managing Director Asia of Sportradar will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Minsoo is a financier with over 22 years of asset management responsible for over $3 billion of investments in securities and private deals, primarily in the consumer and TMT sectors.  Founder & CEO of Ambrasia Group and Ambrasia Multimedia Corporation, a platform to finance media content IP on blockchain.  Founder & CEO of AMPT eSports Enterprises, an executive producer of esports brands and content.

Managing Director of Shang International Finance, an asset manager based in Hong Kong.  He was previously at Oracle Capital, Sparx Asia, and Goldman Sachs. Minsoo is graduated with degrees in Philosophy and Economics from Brown University.

Minsoo will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download programme for details.

Moritz Maurer, has more than seven years of experience working in the esports space, more specifically in esports betting while running GGwins – the first UK-licenced esports operator – before selling the company to Genius Sports in 2015 and becoming integral in launching the industry´s first in-play betting product which is now recognized as market leading solution in the regulated sportsbetting industry. In this capacity he has been unlocking the commercial potential of official data assets for some the biggest rights holders in esports through innovative data solutions for regulated betting & media verticals.

Having left this position in 2018, Moritz is now embracing new challenges at the intersection of data & esports through GRID – the vision for a ground-breaking data & technology platform in esports.

Moritz Maurer, CEO & Founder of GRID esports will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Nicholas Aaron Khoo is the Chairman of Singapore’s Cybersports and Online Gaming Association and President of Interactive Digital Media Chapter, Singapore Computer Society. He will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Peilai joined The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas in 2007 and she is part of the pre-opening team for Marina Bay Sands. In her current role as Senior Vice President of Casino Marketing and Global Events, Peilai is responsible for providing oversight to the Marina Bay Sands’ casino marketing strategy as well as developing cross-functional marketing integration efforts.

Peilai Qian is the SVP of Marketing and Promotions at Marina Bay Sands. She will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Richard joined Pinnacle in 2009 and started working in the Sportsbook department. As a Trader, he was part of the team that researched and created Pinnacle’s original eSports offerings, including contributing to the first-ever handicapped line.

Pinnacle is known by sports bettors for its leading odds and high limits. Now it’s becoming increasingly famous as the biggest operator in eSports betting worldwide. Pinnacle took the first recorded bet on eSports in 2010. Seven years later Pinnacle’s award-winning eSports Hub has recently passed the 10 million eSports bet milestone.

In March 2017, Richard transferred to the Business Analytics Team. Now based in Manila, he works on projects focused on expanding Pinnacle’s market reach, including as a domain expert for the Pinnacle Solution B2B eSports product.

Richard Moore, Business Analyst at Pinnacle, will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Roger Quiles, Esq. is the Co-Founder of FTW Talent & Quiles Law, a global esports player and talent management agency, and the Founding Partner of Quiles Law, a law firm dedicated to servicing the esports industry. Through his businesses, Roger services a global clientele of players, teams, event hosts, influencers, content creators, tournament providers, and media, marketing, analytics and apparel companies. Roger is one of the few attorneys experienced in representing both an esports and traditional sports clientele, having represented amateur and professional athletes as well.

Roger Quiles, Owner & Co-Founder of FTW Talent & Quiles Law will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Romuald Nguyen is a graduate of the European famous Centre de Droit et d’Economie du Sports of Limoges, France.

He also obtained a Master degree in Finance at ESSEC and a Diploma in Football Management at Institut de hautes études en administration publique of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Involved in the sports industry for almost 20 years, Romuald has experience and knowledge in both grassroots and international competitions.

Already President of a club of 300 members when he was 20 years old, he has then dedicated his professional career to the development of his knowledge on sports all around the world.

Romuald spent five years as CFO at the International American Football Federation before joining the French Football Football 10 years ago. There, he has led a wide range of projects (referees, football in schools, diversity, sustainability, lobbying, …) and wrote various articles about the sports industry.

As far as international competition is concerned, Romuald is a Venue Director at UEFA, directly involved in all institutional issues of the UEFA EURO 2016.

In February 2017, he has been appointed as Director of the French Football office in China.

Romuald Nguyen, the Director of China Office at Fédération Française de Football, will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Recognising an opportunity and gap in the market in 2015, Sam co-founded and grew the business news site, media and events company Esports Insider.

Since the launch of ESI in the summer of 2016 it has grown into one of the leading industry news sites globally, and has organised more esports business focused business events than any other company. Also under the company banner is the Esports Insider Hall of Fame, the ESI Trust and and the ESI Media arm too.

In the position of Managing Director Sam oversees the growth of the company and direction of the company, as well as its day to day affairs.

Sam Cooke, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Esports Insider will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

Scott Burton is the CEO/co-founder of ESP (esportspools.com & esp.bet), an eSports startup focused on the fantasy and wagering space. Scott has been active in online wagering for a number of years. Prior to ESP he co-founded and launched a licensed peer-to-peer betting exchange Tedbets.com, winner of the ICE Totally Gaming Game to Watch Award in 2014. Later that year the focus shifted from traditional sports to eSports launching ESP as an eSports fantasy league. The site is aiming to be a leading destination for all types of engaging gameplay for eSports enthusiasts.

Scott Burton will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

Stephen is the Chairman of the Esports Integrity Coalition in the Asia Pacific Region. As a forensic accountant with accompanying qualifications in law, his background as an experienced forensic expert has given him exposure to the investigation and resolution of multi-million dollar fraud cases. Further to this, his experience in business growth and technological development has guided a number of start-up digital organisations to growth and success. Stephen plays a pivotal role within ESIC, particularly in his pioneering of technological advancements and forensic expertise within ESIC’s integrity services administered globally.

Stephen Hanna, the Chairman of the Esports Integrity Coalition, will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details.

One of the youngest team owners in Southeast Asia, Terence Ting founded Team Flash in 2017, establishing professional gaming teams in both Vietnam and Singapore. Team Flash represented Singapore at the FIFA East Asian Championship in April 2018, winning the country’s first gold medal for esports and USD$108,000. 3 months later, Team Flash’s Vietnam division won the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta – with esports historically included for the first time as a demo sport.

The organization also signed an exclusive 6-figure media rights deal with China broadcasting platform, HuyaTV in July 2018. Terence previously worked with European esports franchise, MeetYourMakers (MYM) which was founded in 2001 and the first esports team to attract venture capital. MYM won over 400 championships, most notably the World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup.

Terence Ting, CEO of Team Flash will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!

William K Hsu is currently Managing Partner of Sustainergy Capital Limited based in Hong Kong.  Sustainergy Capital was founded to invest and develop Natural Resources Projects (Energy, Water, Infrastructure, and Commodities) in Emerging and Frontier Markets in South East Asia and Africa.  We are an Investment Platform focused on leveraging growth driven macro needs and an economic paradigm sift providing both Private Equity, Advisory, and Trading Services. William has over 17 years of investing and advising in Natural Resources projects in Emerging Markets and has developed and financed over $750M of energy, mining, and oil and gas projects in Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe.   His primary focus is Energy, Oil and Gas, and Mining.  He holds a BA from George Washington University and an EMBA from the Kellogg School of Management and HKUST.

William K Hsu will be speaking at the Asia Esports Forum at W Taipei on 6-7 November 2018. Download the programme for details. Limited seats available. Book now!