Andrew Wilson (businessman)

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Andrew Wilson
Born (1974-09-07) 7 September 1974 (age 49)
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

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

After the dot-com bubble burst in late 1999, 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. [3] 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. [4] [5]

Six months after the resignation of John Riccitiello, Wilson was chosen to be the new CEO of the company on September 17, 2013. [6]

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. [7] 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. [7] [8] Electronic Arts had a large revenue increase and its stock price doubled in 2014. [7] [9]

In 2021, Wilson became chairman of the board of EA, following the retirement of Larry Probst. [10]

In 2023, he restructured the company, and reorganized it into two organizations – EA Sports and EA Entertainment (formerly EA Games). [11] [12]

Personal life

Wilson is married, and has one daughter and one son. [13] He holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. [14]

Wilson and his family live in Atherton, California. [15] 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. [15]

Awards and accolades

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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. ↑ Fleming, Ryan (17 September 2013). "Meet Andrew Wilson, the 39-year-old who just became EA's CEO". Digital Trends. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Andrew Wilson | LinkedIn". Archived from the original on 18 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan. "EA confirms more layoffs". GamesIndustry International. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  6. ↑ Statt, Nick. "EA names EA Sports chief Andrew Wilson as CEO". CNET News. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Finkelstein, Sydney (15 January 2015). "Capital - The best CEOs of 2014". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  8. 1 2 "The Best Tech CEOs of 2014 - The Motley Fool". Fool.com. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Businessperson of the Year". Fortune.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (26 May 2021). "One Of EA's Most Influential And Important Veterans Is Stepping Down". GameSpot . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Huston, Caitlin (20 June 2023). "Electronic Arts Shake-Up: New CFO and Studio Reorganization". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  12. ↑ Leston, Ryan (21 June 2023). "EA Games splits from EA Sports as part of rebrand". NME . Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "40u40: Andrew Wilson". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "Meet the Man Who Led EA's FIFA to the Top of the Video Game World". Fortune. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  15. 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.
  16. ↑ "2010 Games Sports | BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "No. 6 Andrew Wilson - pg.6". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "America's Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under". Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
  20. ↑ Gianatasio, David. "Adweek's Power List: The 100 Most Influential Leaders in Marketing, Media and Tech". Adweek.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 "Andrew Wilson". Variety . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  22. ↑ "Andrew Wilson". Forbes . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
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