BLAST, a global esports company, has announced the appointment of Charlie Cowdrey as Chief Executive Officer of JioBLAST, the recently announced joint venture between BLAST and RISE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries.
As part of the appointment, Cowdrey will relocate from London to Mumbai this September to lead the joint venture’s Indian operations.
Over the last four years, Cowdrey has held multiple senior leadership roles across the business, ranging from Chief of Staff to most recently, Programme Director for Epic Games, where he played a key role in managing one of BLAST’s most high-profile publisher relationships and competitive titles in Rocket League esports (RLCS) and Fortnite Competitive (FNCS).
Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST, said, “Charlie has been a key figure behind BLAST’s growth and publisher operations over the past few years. He is a trusted leader who understands our culture, our partners and our ambitions. India represents an enormous opportunity for BLAST, and we believe Charlie is the perfect person to take this vision forward. We’re proud to have someone of his calibre opening this important new chapter for us alongside our partners at Reliance and RISE.”
Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, said, “I’m incredibly honoured and excited to take this role in spearheading JioBLAST. We will be focussed on bringing together Jio’s unrivalled reach, RISE’s commercial prowess and BLAST’s esports expertise and global publisher relationships. Bringing this all together, there is no doubt that JioBLAST will supercharge the Indian esports industry. India is one of the most vibrant and promising gaming markets in the world, and working alongside Jio offers us a unique opportunity to build something extraordinary. We can’t wait to get started and bring BLAST’s unique approach to creating next-level entertainment to India.”
Announced in April 2025, the JioBLAST Joint Venture brings together the production power and publisher network of BLAST with the technology infrastructure, telecom reach, and digital platforms of Reliance and Jio
