Global Head of LoL Esports Naz Aletaha Announces Exit from Riot Games

Riot Games Global Head of League of Legends Esports Naz Aletaha leaving company soon. Credit: Riot Games

Riot Games Global Head of League of Legends Esports Naz Aletaha announced late Monday that she will be leaving the company in a few months to explore new opportunities. The exit from Riot is an amicable one, according to a lengthy statement published on X/Twitter, with Aletaha transitioning the LoL Esports team to new leadership over the next several months before inevitably exiting. Chris Greeley will take the reins of the division.

The news comes after Aletaha returns from a sabbatical she took in February for undisclosed reasons.

The exit marks the end of a more than 12-year journey for Aletaha at Riot, who joined the company in 2012 as the senior manager of B2B payments. She would stay in that role for two years before being promoted to head of global esports partnerships & business development (a role she would stay in for another seven years) before being named to her current role in 2021.

Prior to joining Riot, Aletaha worked at Activision Blizzard from 2007 – 2011 in various retail marketing leadership roles, and at Sony Pictures Entertainment from 2006 – 2007 as a financial analyst.

Aletaha’s complete statement can be found below:

After time away on sabbatical, I’ve decided I’m ready to start a new chapter in my career. It’s been an incredible 12.5-year run here at @RiotGames, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished as a team. This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right time for me to explore new horizons. I’ll be taking the next few months to transition the team before leaving the company by the fall.

Being part of this community — this movement to build competitive gaming into professional sport — has been the honor of a lifetime.

I think back to the early days of @LoLEsports: that bold dream amid a sea of skepticism. Then I look at where the sport is today, and I’m in awe…The places we’ve been, the arenas you’ve filled, the records set, the Summoner Names that have become legend. Millions upon millions have come together for over a decade to forge this sport into what it is today, and I’m eternally grateful that I got to be one of them.

What a ride! There’ve been highs and lows, challenges and growth, experiences of a lifetime, but the best part of my journey has been the people.

There’s a palpable, contagious sort of passion that Rioters share. It’s why I joined Riot in the first place back in 2012. More than a decade and lots of growth later, that passion still shines through every team, function, and office. It’s been an honor to work alongside such a talented group of individuals, and my thanks goes out to each and every one of them for the impact they’ve had on me and what we do every day.

To the Riot Esports team, you never cease to amaze me. You’re all-in all the time. I’ve watched you pour all of yourselves into delivering this sport time and time again, and you do it meticulously and with the utmost care. We’ve come a long way since those scrappy, trial-and-error days more than a decade ago. The constant throughout has been you: the way you support each other, push each other, challenge the status quo, continuously raise the bar, and seek out growth. You’ve inspired me every day, and I cannot thank you enough for the years of camaraderie and all you’ve taught me.

There are countless more to thank.

To the team orgs, thank you for your partnership, your feedback, and collaboration. You dream as big as we do, and it’s been a pleasure to work with you throughout the years.

To the pro players, the heroes of the sport! Thank you for propelling this game to new heights season after season. Your relentless pursuit of greatness has been awe-inspiring to witness. You are such an inspiration, and I’ll always be rooting for you.

To the on-air talent, streamers, content creators, and media, thank you for being the voices of our sport. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of you over the years, and I’m perpetually impressed with your insights, creativity, and expertise.

I started my career in esports in business development and partnerships, so sponsors hold a special place in my heart. It’s been such a joy to have you join the LoL Esports family throughout the years, and I can’t thank you enough for sharing your know-how and elevating the esports experience for us all.

And to the community. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I think LoL Esports has the best fans in the world. Your passion runs so deep, and your love for the game, the teams, and the players has made LoL Esports into what it is today. Seeing the ways you show up for this sport across every corner of the world has, hands down, been the best part of my esports experience. You make it so worth. Thank you for caring as much as you do.

If you made it down this far, thank you for sticking with me! My journey has been shaped by so many, and it was important to me to try to thank them all.

Leaving Riot is a bittersweet decision for me. I’m going to miss it, but I’m ready for a new challenge and excited for what’s to come. Chris Greeley, who has been at Riot for nearly 8 years and overseeing LoL Esports strategy for the last 2, will continue leading the team as he did throughout my sabbatical. I’ll be staying on for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition, and then leaving the company to explore where I want to take my career journey next.

The team here has so much in store for you, and I’m excited to watch it all come to life alongside you as a fan.

GG