As Chief Operating Officer, Esports at Riot Games, Whalen Rozelle is responsible for developing and implementing new approaches that create sustainable business practices across each of Riot’s esports products, including League of Legends (LoL) Esports, VALORANT Esports, Wild Rift Esports, and Organized Play (TFT, LoR, and other games). He provides high-level management, guidance, and mentorship to a diverse global team and strategic acumen to regional leagues and personnel.

As COO, Rozelle is charged with implementing a unified strategy across all regions, ensuring each sport operates at the highest levels of competitive operations, broadcast, fan engagement, and more. To that end, he restructured esports regions into broader territories (Americas, APAC, China, EMEA) to enhance oversight, and fosters cross-regional collaboration to advance esports’ strategic priorities within Riot. Under Rozelle’s leadership, Riot has continued to expand its industry-defining impact within esports, with League of Legends continuing its reign as the world’s most-watched esport, and the VALORANT Champions Tour catapulting to one of the fastest-growing esports in the world.

Prior to his current role, Rozelle served as the Global Head of VALORANT Esports, where he built the sport’s competitive ecosystem and championed the Game Changers platform, which creates and supports opportunities for women to compete at the highest levels.

Since joining Riot in 2012, Rozelle has led the launch of LoL Esports leagues in multiple regions, ushered in a new era of stability with the adoption of a permanent partnership model, and grew League of Legends into the largest esports property in the world.

Prior to joining Riot, Rozelle held leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, Cornerstone Research, and Google. He was named one of SBJ’s 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business in 2017 and to SBJ’s Forty Under 40 Classes of 2019 and 2022.