Nine years after co-founding and leading Brazilian esports organisation FURIA, co-founder Jaime Pádua has decided to end his executive tenure as co-CEO.

Pádua leaves the operational management after helping build the organisation into one of the highest-earning esports entities in the world, amassing nearly $7m in cumulative prize money. He will retain his equity stake as a shareholder and remain connected as a strategic advisor.

Following Pádua’s planned departure, Co-founder André Akkari has assumed the role of sole Chief Executive Officer. Concurrently, former head coach and Head of Esports Nicholas “Guerri” Nogueira has been promoted to General Director, taking over day-to-day operational leadership after working closely alongside Pádua during a structured internal succession process.

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“It was nine years of living FURIA with all my heart,” said Jaime Pádua. “I am very proud of what we built and came to the peaceful conclusion that this was the right moment to end my executive cycle. A founder’s job isn’t to make themselves irreplaceable, but to build an organisation strong enough to keep growing without depending on any single person.”

Founded in 2017 alongside Akkari and Cris Guedes, FURIA expanded from a regional Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) team into a multi-title organisation operating across more than 10 competitive scenes, including VALORANT, League of Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege. The organisation was part of setting the current viewership record on CS2 as its roster competed in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Grand Final, reaching a peak viewership of over 2.75m concurrent viewers.

On an industry level, FURIA established itself as a global powerhouse through consistent inclusion in esports’ top partner programs, securing spots in Riot Games‘ VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) and the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL), the Ubisoft‘s R6 Share partner program, ESL’s former Louvre Agreement, and the Esports World Cup Club Partner Program.

Fueled by its iconic run at the Counter-Strike IEM Rio Major 2022, the overall CS2 competitive success, and domestic League of Legends titles, FURIA’s cultural impact helped build one of the most passionate fanbases in Brazil. This fanbase enabled the organisation to attract major non-endemic sponsors like Guaraná Antarctica and Oakley, while expanding its reach into mainstream sports through FURIA FC and the 7-a-side Kings League.

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“If I have to choose what I’m most proud of, it isn’t any of that. What really moves me is what this scale has done for people’s lives,” says Jaime. “I’ve seen entire families transformed. I’ve seen athletes buying their parents’ first home. I’ve seen people who joined us without any idea of how far they could go build a career, a profession, and a completely different life. That’s a priceless legacy.”

“Jaime is a fundamental part of FURIA’s history,” added André Akkari, now CEO of FURIA. “We made thousands of decisions and faced countless challenges side by side. I respect his decision to start a new chapter and am glad he remains close as a shareholder.”

For Pádua, the plan now is to slow down a bit: “I remain a shareholder and will stay close by, now from a different position,” he says. “After nine years of throwing myself into this completely, I want to experience a new phase: slow down, be more present in other areas of my life, and make the most of everything these years have made possible.”

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