Esports Foundation hires Isabella Hislop for commercial role

The Esports Foundation has appointed Isabella Hislop as Director of Commercial Planning. Based in Riyadh, she will report to Chief Commercial Officer Mohammad Al Nimer and is charged with building the commercial infrastructure for the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nations Cup.

Hislop joins the foundation after five years at Chelsea Football Club, where she most recently led commercial strategy for Chelsea FC Women. She previously worked as legal counsel at Chelsea, giving her both commercial and legal experience.

Her remit includes merchandising, ticketing, hospitality, sponsorships, media rights and the fan experience across the foundation’s multi-title competitions. The foundation said Herlop’s combined commercial and legal background will support efforts to scale revenue models across multiple markets and titles and to increase ticket sales and non-endemic brand partnerships.

The appointment follows other senior hires at the foundation. In the past two months the organisation added Sasha Alexandrov as Director of Content and Brian Krämer as Director of Product for the Esports Nations Cup as it prepares an active 2026 calendar. The foundation has stated it aims to convert its competition structures into sustainable business properties by attracting mainstream sponsors and increasing in-person attendance.

Hislop described the role as bridging traditional sports commercial practices with esports competition structures. “EF has built two global competition structures across multiple titles, markets and fan communities at once,” she wrote. “My new role sits across how that works commercially; merch, ticketing, hosp, partnerships, media rights, and the fan experience that turns a tournament into something people travel for, talk about and come back to.”