MANAGEMENT & STRATEGIC

Chris Heaton

Director & Founder

Chris’ expertise has been fundamental in developing the strategic approach to building a unique and specialized company targeting bespoke projects in the esports and online video gaming industry.

Over the last decade and a half Chris has built the formidable South African creative agency Brand inc from the ground up as well as the digital sports and ecommerce agency Sportal. He has worked with Belgium based sports sponsorship technology company Optimy on product features and distribution into the African market.

At the beginning of 2018, Chris co-founded and launched Esports Industry as a strategy to better understand the global esports market. It was his formula approach to identifying the best commercial technology opportunities in esports coupled with his team’s in-depth and intricate technical knowledge of the gaming industry which lead to the idea of developing a company specialized in esports tournament technology.

Chris established Skirmish Limited in the Isle of Man at the end of 2018 to begin the journey of developing breakthrough and disruptive technology solutions for the esports and gaming markets.

Lee Hills

Managing Director

Lee is an online gambling expert, Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission-approved director, and has more than 15 years’ experience in fiduciary services and gaming, specialising in licence approvals and banking solutions for blockchain, cryptocurrency and gaming businesses.

Highlights of Lee’s career include obtaining the world’s first blockchain gambling licence, advising the Isle of Man’s first hard-capped ICO and working on various other successful ICOs and STOs in FinTech, gaming, and RegTech, leading to being named an ACQ5 GameChanger of the Year in 2019 and 2020.

Lee is a writer for The Capital (previously Altcoin Magazine) and FX Street, as well as regular provider of thought leadership editorial for the gaming industry’s leading print and digital publications on topics such as player protection and blockchain technology.

With his wealth of experience and understanding of the esports, online gaming, blockchain and gambling supervision, Lee brings a critical set of expertise to the Skirmish Limited team and heads up the Isle of Man office.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Roland Reed

He is focused on driving product innovation within the company, together with strategic daily analysis of the market to assist the company and its clients.

Roland determines innovative applications for the company and its customers, additional revenue concepts and implementation thereof.

Roland is an avid gamer himself, providing valuable insights into the needs and psychology of gamers. It is his view that today’s obsessive demand for consistent content due to the rise of Games as a service (Gaas) models has made sustaining longevity of IP an almost unachievable task for the developers and Publishers to handle on their own. He looks to enhance and create completely new game modes that sit as a layer on top of the games accessible through the products Skirmish Limited develops, delivers and manages for its clients.

TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT

Emile Chantler

Emile started out in the game development industry of Cape Town, working as a gameplay programmer for a company called Caven Digital. He moved on to launch his own development company, called Black Pea Studios, focusing on game asset development and VR app development.

Later Emile joined Hubble, an in-vehicle advertising start-up in partnership with Uber. Here he worked as a Data Analyst and Solutions Architect. He then took on the responsibility of designing and architecting their new proprietary software and bringing this into production in South Africa. In the process of doing this, he also architected and developed their internal software systems used for Lead Management and Client Reporting. He facilitated in turning these systems into Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings that were launched in both Kenya and the Ukraine.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Leon Potgieter

Leon has over 25 years of wide-ranging experience as a Network Consultant, Designer and Software Lead in the Aeronautical, Communication, Broadcast, Gaming and Hospitality sectors. His diverse knowledge includes extensive work in the fields of security, software development, integration, networking and communications.

He has developed software solutions and products for a wide range of Blue-chip clients including amongst others: Estee Lauder, Denel, Tsogo Sun Casinos, Southern Sun, Ernst and Young and the Industrial Development Corporation.

During his career he has travelled extensively and implemented projects in Belgium, France and Germany. These projects include various electronics designs and associated software in the fields of robotics, tracking and communication with some of these designs being considered a world first. More recently he has been focused on innovation in the blockchain, financial and cloud computing space.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

William Bierman

CA (SA) RA

William’s practical business experience, his training as a chartered accountant, and his generalist knowledge of international tax is critical to assist the company and its clients to maintain its financial wellbeing.

William has over 20 years’ experience in Public Practice, 16 as a partner/director of a Cape Town based firm of Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors, and he continues to practice as a Chartered Accountant (SA) and Registered Auditor. William’s exposure to the SME environment has allowed him to gain practical and invaluable working knowledge of the value drivers within businesses. His keen interest in, and practical application of valuation models, make him a key asset to any business wanting to unlock their value and true growth potential.

William further assists Skirmish Limited  and its clients to achieve success  through effective collaboration with the correct network of trusted suppliers and advisors.

BUSINESS STRATEGY & OPERATIONS

Brett Walters

B. Com Accounting (SA)

After 7 years as an Accountant, Brett decided to follow his entrepreneurial instincts and sold his practice to Moore Stephens. Since 2003 he has been investing in various businesses, either as a VC or joint VC/Specialist Advisor with extremely favourable results. Brett also has various interests in property development and tech start-ups worldwide.

Brett assists and advises both Chris and William with ongoing strategic matters in both finance and operational aspects of the day to day running of the business, whilst guiding Skirmish Limited clients to achieving operational success.

STRATEGIC AND TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Hugo Jankowitz

Ph. D Computer Science & Electrical Engineering (UK), B. Sc (Hons) Computer Science (SA)

Hugo began his career in 1989 as an IT Consultant and Systems Analyst to the European Parliament in Luxembourg and Brussels. In 1993 he made his first move into the world of entrepreneurial business and founded an IT Contract Management business in the EU offering solutions to recruitment agencies and IT contractors in EU, Asia and Africa.

Since 2002 Hugo has been building is own investment company in South Africa which he uses to manage a diverse portfolio of businesses, including Aquaculture Farms, the property investment company RBK Holdings, and more recently a 90% shareholding in Dogon Group which at its peak was running with a turnover of R1,5 billion. Hugo exited Dogon in 2019.

From his background and extensive experience in business strategy and technology, Hugo offers ongoing strategic guidance to business management and the team’s technology considerations.

STRATEGIC AND AI MODELLING

Willem van der Merwe

B. Sc Actuarial Science, B. Comm (Hons) Economics, CFA Charterholder

Willem started his career as a quantitative investment analyst at Coronation Fund Managers where he headed up their quantitative research division. In 2003 he co-founded Sygnia Asset Management which went to list on the JSE in 2015. During his career at Sygnia, he headed up the Sygnia investment team and established their long-term investment approach.

Amongst other achievements, he and his team started the first and most successful Fund of Hedge Fund range in SA and managed their best House view portfolio range to one of the best performing portfolio ranges in SA. In 2014 he started Sygnia Securities, a stockbroking business within the Sygnia Group, and became CEO of that business until he left the company in 2016. Willem worked on several Machine Learning (ML) projects since leaving Sygnia, one which was successfully sold in 2020.

Willem became an Angle investor in Skirmish Limited believing in the business and Skrmiish platform in general, but also appreciating the immense possibilities presented by the abundance of data which can be combined with ML to add value to clients, gamers and shareholders.

He contributes strategic and business input and assists in the development of the various ML algorithms used within the platform Skirmish Limited develops.

INTERNAL LEGAL & COMPLIANCE

Amanda Fischer

BA. LLB

Amanda has nearly 20 years experience in the gambling and gaming industry having been in corporate legal services since 2004 with Vukani Gaming and then with Peermont Global for more than 13 years. Amanda runs the internal legal department of Skirmish Global Limited and engages with all the necessary legal experts in the various countries to ensure that there is complete understanding of all regulatory requirements.

Amanda is hands on in the drafting of all legal documentation relating to Skirmish Limited and its product services including all contractual, terms and conditions and privacy policy documents.

LEGAL & COMPLIANCE GLOBAL

Garron Whitesman

BA. LLB. LLM. Member of: IMGL & CLS Cyberlaw Society

Garron Whitesman is recognised internationally as a leading lawyer in gaming and gambling.

He is the founding partner of Whitesmans Attorneys which he established in 2006. For the past decade, Garron has developed and maintained a global practice in gaming, gambling and commercial law. His practice runs the full spectrum of regulatory, commercial, corporate and new media- related work within the field with a particular expertise in online gaming and gambling. Garron has litigated industry-related matters in the High Courts of South Africa and England, state and federal courts in the United States of America, state and federal courts in Germany and the European Court of Justice. Garron has also been involved in license applications and/ or compliance in South Africa, Gibraltar, Malta, Alderney, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Australia, Germany and other international jurisdictions.

LEGAL & COMPLIANCE US

George Rover

BS Hons. Juris Doctorate

George served as the Deputy Attorney General and then an Assistant Attorney General with the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Office of the Attorney General over a period of 26 years. In January 1999, Rover was promoted to Assistant Attorney General and assigned as the Special Assistant to the Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. In August 2011, Rover was appointed Deputy Director of the Division and placed in charge of its Atlantic City office until his retirement in November 2016.

George is now a managing partner in private practice at Princeton Global Strategies providing legal advice and strategies on, amongst others, casino, internet, social gaming and sports betting. George was directly responsible for engaging with the New Jersey State regulator to present the Skirmish Limited business and its  products and secure their approval to enter the US and trade accordingly. He continues to represent Skirmish and its clients in the US market.