Riot names Valérie Horyna Global Head of Esports Compliance

Riot Games promoted Valérie Horyna to Global Head of Esports Compliance, appointing her to run competitive integrity, disciplinary processes and regulatory strategy for League of Legends, VALORANT and Teamfight Tactics from Berlin. Her remit covers Riot’s EMEA, APAC and Americas competitive circuits.

In the new role Horyna will work to align global integrity standards across Riot’s main esports titles, refine anti-corruption frameworks and coordinate with industry and regulatory stakeholders on emerging risks such as betting sponsorships and cross-industry commercial partnerships. She will oversee regional regulatory structures, disciplinary procedures and governance enforcement across multiple markets.

Horyna moves to the global post after nearly four years as Riot’s EMEA Esports Compliance Manager. In that role she built a compliance network spanning 23 independent tournament organizers, expanded integrity education and reporting systems, and created Riot’s first independent esports dispute resolution mechanism in EMEA, which recorded a 70 percent adoption rate in its first year. She also represented Riot before regulators and law enforcement, including Europol and the International Betting Integrity Association, and worked with commercial partners such as Red Bull.

Before joining Riot in 2022, Horyna spent almost a decade in traditional sports governance. She founded a sports governance consultancy, SportsLex, and served as Senior Legal Counsel at the International Hockey Federation, where she helped establish an Integrity Unit and a Women in Sport Committee. Earlier she worked eight years at FIFA in Zurich, rising to Deputy Head of Ethics & Governance and handling disciplinary matters that included proceedings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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Riot described the global compliance function as focused on creating consistent, trusted operational environments for teams, players and publishers while adapting to regional regulatory requirements and commercial developments.

The appointment reflects a pattern of esports organisations recruiting governance executives from traditional sports. Another recent hire in the sector was Audrey Cech at the Esports Foundation, who brings experience from roles at UEFA, FIFA and other sports bodies.