Team17 Group plc, a Wakefield-based global games label, creative partner, developer and publisher of independent premium video games, educational entertainment apps for children, and working simulation games, has appointed Steve Bell as chief executive officer.
Bell will join the board on September 4, 2023 as group chief executive officer designate, formally assuming the role of group CEO from January 1, 2024.
Debbie Bestwick, MBE, will continue in the role of group CEO until 31 December 2023, working closely with Bell in the initial months of his appointment to ensure a smooth transition and hand over and, as previously announced, will then join the board as a non-executive director on 1 January 2024.
Bell joins from Iris Worldwide Holdings Limited, a global integrated marketing agency specialising in brand and digital marketing strategy, which he co-founded in 1999. Bell has amassed extensive digital marketing expertise, having held senior leadership roles since co-founding Iris in 1999, including the role of global group chief executive since 2021.
Managing over 1,000 employees in 14 offices around the world, Bell has overseen Iris’ work with some of the biggest, most creatively driven and technologically advanced global brands and has been instrumental in developing and delivering Iris’ commercial and M&A strategies.
Prior to co-founding Iris, Steve worked for the advertising and retail agency Arc Worldwide, spending over five years working across a number of high-profile integrated accounts.
Bestwick said: “As a board, we have run a rigorous process to find a new group chief executive and we are delighted to announce Steve as my successor. Steve’s experience as a co-founder of a people-centric business means he understands the importance of our vibrant and inclusive company culture which remains the cornerstone of everything we do across the group. I look forward to working with Steve through the handover process, and to supporting him and the broader team thereafter in my role as a non-executive director.”
Bell added: “I am thrilled to be joining Team17. The company has an incredible track record and I’m excited to help build on the group’s strong foundations to continue its impressive growth trajectory. I look forward to working closely with the board, the group’s divisional CEO’s and their broader teams to bring even more compelling games and apps to players, alongside driving further momentum by supporting the group’s successful organic and acquisitive growth strategy.”
