Debbie Bestwick MBE has announced that she will be stepping down as Chief Executive of games publisher, Team17.
A search has already started to find her successor, which the company stated would involve “both external and internal candidates.”
Bestwick, who’ll remain with the business until her replacement is found, will be involved in the process.
“This has probably been the hardest decision I’ve made, but I wouldn’t have made it if I wasn’t confident in the succession plans and the leadership team’s ability to deliver the clear and focused strategy regarding our collective goals and ambitions. Ultimately, I want to spend more time with my children who have made sacrifices many times during my career and specifically to spend more time with my youngest before he goes to university,” she explained.
Bestwick founded the company in 1990, in 2018 it floated on the London Stock Exchange, raising £217m.
Team17 said that “ highly experienced and effective divisional senior leadership team” had been established over the last 18 months. This team now runs the day-to-day divisions within the group.
“With Team17 now unrecognisable compared to those early days, and with our fantastic senior team working seamlessly across the business and our growth strategy firmly in place, now is the time to focus on the next generation,” added Bestwick.
“The future looks extremely bright for the Group, and I look forward to continuing to support the business to find my successor and then in a new capacity as a Non-Executive Director when that time arrives.”
Chris Bell, Non-Executive Chair of Team17 stated:
“I would like to personally thank Debbie for her absolute devotion to Team17 and know that without her almost limitless enthusiasm for the business, we simply would not be where we are today. We all collectively wish her the very best in all her future endeavours and look forward to continuing to benefit from her unrivalled knowledge when she joins the Board as a Non-Executive Director.
“We the Board and Debbie are actively engaged in a search process to find a new Chief Executive Officer and will update our shareholders at the appropriate time. Knowing Debbie so well it will be “business-as-normal” and she will be 100%+ focused on her CEO duties right through”.
The company has just released it unaudited results for the year ended 31st December, showing a 52% increase in revenue, to £137.4m.
Its gross profit grew 53% to £69.6m.
That comes after a big year of acquisitions, including Hell Let Loose and The Label.
