Blast Appoints Charlie Cowdrey as CEO of JioBlast

Global esports company Blast has announced the appointment of Charlie Cowdrey as chief executive officer of JioBlast, the recently announced joint venture between Blast and Rise, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.

Cowdrey has held multiple senior leadership roles at Blast over the last four years, including chief of staff and most recently program director for Epic Games, where he played a role in managing one of Blast’s publisher relationships and competitive titles in Rocket League and Fortnite Competitive.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to take this role in spearheading JioBlast,” Cowdrey said. “We will be focused on bringing together Jio’s unrivaled reach, Rise’s commercial prowess and Blast’s esports expertise and global publisher relationships. Bringing this all together, there is no doubt that JioBlast will supercharge the Indian esports industry. India is one of the most vibrant and promising gaming markets in the world, and working alongside Jio offers us a unique opportunity to build something extraordinary.”

As part of the appointment, Cowdrey will relocate to Mumbai from London in September to lead the joint venture’s Indian operations, marking a major milestone in the company’s global expansion into India. The joint venture with Rise will bring Blast’s production expertise and international tournament IPs to India while building localized formats, mobile esports offerings and fan engagement initiatives through JioGames.

“Charlie has been a key figure behind Blast’s growth and publisher operations over the past few years,” said Robbie Douek, chief executive officer of Blast. “He is a trusted leader who understands our culture, our partners and our ambitions. India represents an enormous opportunity for Blast and we believe Charlie is the perfect person to take this vision forward. We’re proud to have someone of his caliber opening this important new chapter for us alongside our partners at Reliance and Rise.”