PrizePicks Appoints Marcus Sanford as Chief Financial Officer, Ari Koteles as Chief Business Officer
Strategic Appointments Position Leading Daily Fantasy Sports Operator for Continued Growth
ATLANTA (October 3, 2024) - PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, today announced the appointment of Marcus Sanford, former Chief Financial Officer of Blizzard Entertainment, as the company's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ari Koteles, who has served as PrizePicks’ CFO since 2021, has been named to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer.
"Since joining PrizePicks, I have been impressed by the exceptional talent and capabilities of our team,” said PrizePicks CEO Mike Ybarra. “As we continue to scale our business, we see an opportunity to better harness our strengths and exceed player expectations with continued innovation and a renewed focus. Prior to joining PrizePicks, I worked closely with Marcus over the last 6 years scaling a multibillion-dollar gaming business, and I know that he will accelerate our growth ambitions."
Sanford said, “I am thrilled to join Mike and the talented team at PrizePicks. The company’s relentless commitment to innovation and focus on delivering the best, most differentiated products to players uniquely positions PrizePicks for accelerated growth.”
Sanford is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of strategic planning, accounting, treasury, financial management and operational experience. Most recently, he was CFO of Blizzard Entertainment, where he oversaw both finance and operations teams while continuing to serve as Deputy CFO to the parent company Activision Blizzard. Prior to Blizzard, he spent over a decade as a senior finance leader at Activision Blizzard leading corporate finance teams and playing a key role in transformational projects including the record setting sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft. Prior to his tenure at Activision Blizzard, Sanford held roles at Vivendi Universal Games.
Ybarra continued, “There are exponentially more growth opportunities ahead of us and I’m thrilled to have Ari Koteles transition from CFO into the newly formed role of Chief Business Officer. The creation of this role will ensure that we are exceeding player expectations with differentiated and unique product offerings.”
As Chief Business Officer (CBO), Koteles will be responsible for aligning business strategies with market opportunities, overseeing business development, managing partnerships, and ensuring the integration of business functions to drive growth and profitability. Koteles will report to CEO Mike Ybarra.
“Over the last 4 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most dedicated and passionate people in the industry,” commented Koteles. “PrizePicks has a long history of leading product innovation in the DFS space and I look forward to further accelerating our growth as we explore new ways to expand our reach and engage with sports fans across the country.”
About PrizePicks
PrizePicks is the largest skill-based daily fantasy sports operator in North America. Recognized as the Fantasy Sports Business of the Year by the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association, PrizePicks is a fun, fast and simple version of daily fantasy sports. Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the company was recently recognized as a Top Workplace by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. For more information, visit www.prizepicks.com.
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