Andrew Wilson (businessman)

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Andrew Wilson
Born (1974-09-07) 7 September 1974 (age 50)
Geelong, Victoria, Australia [1]
Nationality Australian
Alma mater Queensland University of Technology [2]
Occupation(s)Chairman and CEO of Electronic Arts
Years active2000–present
Predecessor John Riccitiello

Andrew Wilson (born 7 September 1974)[ citation needed ] is an Australian businessman who has been the CEO of Electronic Arts (EA) since September 2013. He has also been chairman of the company since 2021.

Contents

Wilson is a member of The Business Council. [3]

Early life and education

Wilson grew up in a working-class family in Victoria and Queensland, Australia. [2] In his youth he played rugby and basketball at school, coached Taekwondo, and played golf, surfed, swam, and ran. [2]

He attended Queensland University of Technology, but dropped out before obtaining his law degree. [2]

Career

Early career

In the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, Wilson, living in Sydney, built Australian websites for international corporations. [2] He subsequently also helped raise venture capital and launch IPOs for dot-com start-ups. [2]

Electronic Arts

In May 2000, Wilson joined Electronic Arts' small video-game development studio on Australia's Gold Coast, which created V8 supercar, rugby, cricket, and surfing video games but needed someone with real experience in how the sports were actually played. [2] That studio closed in 2002 due to lack of scale. [2] Wilson then worked in the company's Asian and European markets for several years before moving to EA Sports and then becoming an executive producer on the FIFA franchise. [4] In August 2011 he was appointed executive vice president of EA Sports, and he also took on duties as executive vice president of the company's Origin platform in April 2013. [5] [6]

Six months after the resignation of John Riccitiello, Wilson was chosen to be the new CEO of the company on September 17, 2013. [7] In his first year as CEO, Wilson initiated a "player-first" corporate strategy, and offered more free-to-play games and in-app purchase options. [8] In a move towards a transformation from physical software to digital, he also greatly increased EA's digital offerings, and launched EA Access, a subscription-based digital service for Xbox One players that allows unlimited play across a selection of EA titles. [8] [9] Electronic Arts had a large revenue increase and its stock price doubled in 2014. [8] [10]

In 2021, Wilson became chairman of the board of EA, following the retirement of Larry Probst. [11]

In 2023, he restructured the company into two organizations – EA Sports and EA Entertainment (formerly EA Games). [12] [13]

For EA's fiscal year (FY) 2025, Wilson received $30.5 million in total compensation, an increase of $5 million over FY2024 and $10 million greater than in FY2023, and representing a ratio of 260 times more than the compensation of the median employee at EA for FY2025. [14]

Personal life

Wilson is married, and has one daughter and one son. [15] He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. [16] [17]

Wilson and his family live in Atherton, California. [18] In 2022, along with several other Silicon Valley executives, he opposed a proposal to allow more than one home on a single acre in Atherton, which is one of Silicon Valley’s most exclusive and wealthiest towns. [18]

Awards and accolades

References

  1. ↑ Robischon, Noah (2014). "Interview with Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA". SXSW . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kehoe, John (9 January 2016). "Electronic Arts boss Andrew Wilson is one of Australia's top global CEOs". Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Admin. "Active Members". The Business Council. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Fleming, Ryan (17 September 2013). "Meet Andrew Wilson, the 39-year-old who just became EA's CEO". Digital Trends. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Andrew Wilson | LinkedIn". Archived from the original on 18 September 2013.
  6. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan. "EA confirms more layoffs". GamesIndustry International. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  7. ↑ Statt, Nick. "EA names EA Sports chief Andrew Wilson as CEO". CNET News. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Finkelstein, Sydney (15 January 2015). "Capital - The best CEOs of 2014". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "The Best Tech CEOs of 2014 - The Motley Fool". Fool.com. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Businessperson of the Year". Fortune.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (26 May 2021). "One Of EA's Most Influential And Important Veterans Is Stepping Down". GameSpot . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  12. ↑ Huston, Caitlin (20 June 2023). "Electronic Arts Shake-Up: New CFO and Studio Reorganization". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Leston, Ryan (21 June 2023). "EA Games splits from EA Sports as part of rebrand". NME . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Wolens, Joshua (27 June 2025). "EA's CEO pulled in $5 million more this year than last, while his employees took home the least money they've made since 2022". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "40u40: Andrew Wilson". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  16. ↑ Safian, Robert (25 September 2024). "What Jiu-Jitsu taught EA CEO Andrew Wilson running a company". Fastcompany.com. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "Meet the Man Who Led EA's FIFA to the Top of the Video Game World". Fortune. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  18. 1 2 Griffith, Erin (12 August 2022). "The Summer of NIMBY in Silicon Valley's Poshest Town". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "2010 Games Sports | BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "No. 6 Andrew Wilson - pg.6". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "America's Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under". Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
  23. ↑ Gianatasio, David. "Adweek's Power List: The 100 Most Influential Leaders in Marketing, Media and Tech". Adweek.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 "Andrew Wilson". Variety . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  25. ↑ "Andrew Wilson". Forbes . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
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