PrizePicks names Marcus Sanford CFO, appoints Ari Koteles CBO

North America's largest skill-based daily fantasy sports operator, PrizePicks, strengthened its team with a fresh addition to its C-suite.

Former Blizzard Entertainment CFO joins the company

The company confirmed the appointment of Blizzard Entertainment's former Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Marcus Sanford, to the role of CFO.

Joining PrizePicks, Sanford brings solid experience and knowledge.

On the other hand, the company also confirmed the transition of Ari Koteles from the role of CFO to the newly created position of Chief Business Officer.

Initially, Koteles was appointed to the role of CFO back in 2021.

Transitioning to the Chief Business Officer role, he will oversee PrizePicks' business strategy and help identify and capture new growth opportunities.

He will play a key role in initiatives that focus not only on growth but profitability as well and report to the company's CEO, Mike Ybarra.

Ybarra himself joined PrizePicks' C-suite only recently after he was appointed to the Chief Executive Officer role back in August.

The new CFO brings solid experience

Sanford is a proven expert with a track record. Overall, he has more than 20 years of experience in financial management, strategic planning as well as accounting.

Before joining the senior-level management team at PrizePicks, as noted, he most recently held the role of CFO of Blizzard Entertainment.

During his tenure with the company, he was in charge of key financial operations and oversaw different teams.

Concurrently to his role at Blizzard Entertainment, Sanford served as Deputy CFO at Activision Blizzard.

Throughout his career, Sanford gained unique insights into corporate finance while proving his leadership.

Notably, he played an instrumental role in the sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft, among other growth initiatives and projects.

PrizePicks' CEO welcomes Sanford to the team

Ybarra shared his excitement about the two recent appointments in a statement.

He revealed that he has been impressed with the exceptionally talented and capable team at PrizePicks ever since he joined the company.

"As we continue to scale our business, we see an opportunity to better harness our strengths and exceed player expectations with continued innovation and a renewed focus," Ybarra added.

Moreover, he explained: "Prior to joining PrizePicks, I worked closely with Marcus over the last 6 years scaling a multibillion-dollar gaming business, and I know that he will accelerate our growth ambitions."

The CEO also said that it is thrilling to see Koteles transition to the newly created Chief Business Officer role.

Ybarra predicted further growth and development of the company with Sanford and Koteles playing a key role in such processes.

The latest senior-level appointments come after back in August, PrizePicks inked a deal with the multitalented comedian and actor, Drew "Druski" Desbordes.

Per that collaboration, the recognizable comedian was named brand ambassador for the company.

Image credit: PrizePicks