BLAST has appointed Charlie Cowdrey as Chief Executive Officer of JioBLAST, the newly formed joint venture between BLAST and RISE, as the company launches its expansion into India.

Cowdrey will relocate from London to Mumbai in September to lead the joint venture’s Indian operations, a significant step in BLAST’s international expansion. The company aims to capitalise on India’s booming gaming landscape, home to over 600 million gamers and accounting for 18% of the global gaming audience.

Cowdrey has played a central role at BLAST over the past four years, holding senior positions including Chief of Staff and most recently Programme Director for Epic Games. In the latter role, he oversaw key publisher relationships and major esports properties such as Rocket League (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.”

Cowdrey himself added: “I’m incredibly honoured and excited to take this role in spearheading JioBLAST. We will be focused on bringing together Jio’s unrivalled reach, RISE’s commercial prowess and BLAST’s esports expertise and global publisher relationships… We can’t wait to get started and bring BLAST’s unique approach to creating next level entertainment to India.”

JioBLAST aims to supercharge Indian esports by creating new IP, establishing a production studio, and delivering tournament experiences tailored to the local market. The venture will blend BLAST’s global credentials with Jio’s digital infrastructure, offering mobile-first formats and fan engagement via JioGames.

Last month, JioBLAST began hiring for six foundational roles in Mumbai as it builds out its local team. These hires mark the beginning of a new era for Indian esports under Cowdrey’s leadership.