Hardware and consumer electronics giant ASUS has officially appointed Kitty Cao as its new Esports Partnerships and Brand Manager.

Cao shared the news in a LinkedIn post, saying she was excited to join ASUS and work with a brand that understands players “from grassroots communities to the global stage.” She added that she is looking forward to building creative partnerships, running fun campaigns, and working with others who are passionate about gaming and esports.

Before joining ASUS, Cao worked at HyperX for almost eight years, where she moved through several roles focused on esports and partnerships. These roles included Influencer Marketing and Partnerships Manager, Esports Sponsorship Supervisor, and Esports Sponsorship Specialist. Before HyperX, she also worked at Blizzard Entertainment in community and collegiate esports coordination roles, including work with Tespa.

Cao’s role at ASUS will likely focus on finding and building partnerships with esports teams, tournament organisers, gaming influencers, streamers, gaming communities, and universities. She is also expected to handle sponsorship negotiations, manage campaign requirements, and oversee relationships with partners throughout each collaboration. Her experience in sponsorship management, influencer partnerships, and esports broadcast activations makes her well suited to help ASUS grow its presence within the esports community.

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Her appointment comes at a time when gaming hardware brands are investing more in creator communities, college gaming, and long-term esports partnerships. ASUS, especially through its Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand, has stayed active in esports through sponsorships, tournament support, and partnerships with professional players and streamers.

For instance, Republic of Gamers around two weeks ago announced ROG Masters North America 2026, a new grassroots esports tournament for players in Canada and the United States. Around the same time, ASUS also announced a brand-new partnership with South Korean esports organisation T1 to launch special co-branded versions of NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards to attract esports fans.

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