Men’s health organisation Movember has appointed Dr. Dylan Poulus as its new Global Lead, Esports & Gaming, co-leading the esports vertical alongside Global Director, Innovation Dan Cooper starting in June 2026.
According to a statement on LinkedIn, the appointment marks the beginning of a three-year strategic effort to embed structured mental health support directly within competitive gaming and interactive entertainment platforms, spaces where millions of young people spend time and construct their identities, but where psychological wellbeing too often goes unsupported.
Poulus, who will simultaneously maintain his academic position as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Southern Cross University, aims to combine academic research with active corporate partnerships, programs, and fundraising initiatives to deliver real-world impact.
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The transition represents a direct promotion for Poulus within the charity’s internal structure, having previously served as a Senior Research Fellow focusing on video games and esports from November 2024 to May 2026. His background bridges clinical research and foundational industry experience, having formerly co-founded QUT Esports during his tenure at the Queensland University of Technology.
In his new capacity, Poulus will focus on addressing psychological challenges within gaming environments by directly meeting communities inside their preferred digital spaces:
“Esports and gaming are where millions of young people spend their time, build belonging, and find identity. They’re also spaces where mental health too often goes unsupported. Over the next three years, the goal is to change that, not by telling young people to log off, but by meeting them through the things they love,” stated Poulus.
This executive development follows Movember’s major operational expansion into tier-one competitive gaming earlier this year. In January 2026, the charity secured a multi-year partnership with publisher Riot Games, naming it the Official Mental Health Partner for the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA, and the Game Changers EMEA Championship across the 2026 and 2027 competitive seasons. Under that framework, the organisation committed to developing specialised mental health training, broadcast messaging, and player-only roundtables to help professional competitors and support staff manage acute competitive pressure.
The integration of specialised leadership reflects a long-term strategic tendency for the charity to establish sustainable, community-first solutions within digital ecosystems. Movember’s prior sector-specific initiatives include the creation of dedicated Esports Mental Health Guidelines alongside commissioned research into gaming communities. Since its inception in 2003, the charity has funded more than 1,300 men’s health projects worldwide, with its current esports roadmap indicating a deliberate pivot toward scaling up its institutional presence inside global gaming networks.
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