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Frontier Developments plc Board Changes and Notice of Results

Known for the brilliant F1 Manager games and more, game developers Frontier developments make some changes to its board.

Those who are into their sim racing or racing titles as well as many other great genres will know of Frontier Developments.  The F1 Manager series and popular space sim “Elite”, will be some of the titles that spring to mind. Here we see an official announcement on changes to the board.

Chief Executive OfficerFrontier has announced David Braben’s transition to his new role of President and Founder, with Jonny Watts, currently Chief Creative Officer, being appointed as CEO, effective from today, to lead the next phase of the Company’s evolution.

After 28 years leading Frontier’s rise to become one of the world’s leading independent games companies, David Braben commented: “Frontier is very important to me, and I am delighted to be able to pass on my CEO responsibilities to the exceptionally talented Jonny Watts, who I know will do a terrific job. He has the perfect combination of creative leadership and gaming vision to build on the excellent momentum in the business. I am looking forward to my new role at Frontier, and this change enables me to focus on our longer-term strategic opportunities.”

David Braben will transition into the newly created role of President and Founder, an Executive Director position, where he will retain his leadership and vision for Frontier’s strategic direction, whilst maintaining and building key relationships within the games industry and the wider digital entertainment sector.

As CEO, Jonny Watts will build on an exceptional track record at Frontier having worked closely with David Braben for over 24 years, and as Chief Creative Officer since 2012. The partnership has delivered outstanding success for the Company, including the substantial value created over the last decade from Frontier’s transition to self-publishing, development of a portfolio of high-quality games played by millions around the world, and record revenue (unaudited) of £114m in FY22. Jonny has been key to the Company’s major game successes over recent years, and he has also been instrumental in establishing and delivering Frontier’s successful Develop, Launch and Nurture strategy, which delivers long-term value to both Frontier’s players and investors. In his new role as CEO, Jonny will be responsible for all aspects of day-to-day leadership and delivery against Frontier’s operational and longer term strategic plans.

Commenting on his appointment, Jonny Watts said: “I am excited to step up and lead Frontier into the next chapter of our growth. We have an amazing team and an exceptional culture of high-quality creativity and inclusivity. I’m looking forward to working with David and the wider Board to take us to still greater success. We look forward with great confidence”.

Frontier Developments plc Board Changes and Notice of Results

Chairman

Frontier has also announced that David Gammon will retire as Chairman in December 2022 after serving his full term on the board. David Gammon will be succeeded by David Wilton who will join the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman Designate on 22 September 2022, becoming Chairman when David Gammon retires in December 2022.

David Wilton brings a wealth of experience of high growth businesses across multiple sectors, including games. Most recently, he has been CFO of Sumo Group plc from where he will be retiring on 31 October 2022. He is an experienced Non-Executive Director, consultant and qualified chartered accountant with many years in corporate finance, primarily in mid cap M&A with Rothschild & Co. He is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of CVS Group plc, the AIM quoted veterinary services group.

David Gammon said: “I am very pleased that David Wilton is succeeding me. Chairing the Board of Frontier over the last 10 years has been a tremendous privilege. Frontier is an exceptional business with a portfolio of games which entertain millions around the world. It has been a great pleasure to oversee its growth and transformation including our listing on the stock exchange and scale-up to a world class gaming business of 800 people. With Jonny becoming CEO and David Braben still closely involved, David Wilton will have an outstanding team to work with. I am immensely grateful to my fellow board members for their support and hard work during my tenure as Chairman. I wish Frontier the very best for the future.”

David Wilton said: “I am thrilled to be joining Frontier’s Board. I have known David Braben for many years and have watched the business with great interest. Jonny Watts is an exceptional leader and I am looking forward to working with him. Frontier is an amazing company making great games and has been a tremendous success story. I look forward to playing a part in Frontier’s future success as we take advantage of the manyopportunities ahead”.

Chief Operating Officer

Also effective from today, James Dixon, Frontier’s current Senior Director of Operations, has joined the Board as Chief Operating Officer. James has worked with David Braben and Jonny Watts for over 24 years and has been integral to Frontier’s success over that time, particularly during the significant scale-up phases of the last decade. James will provide support to Jonny Watts in his new CEO role, and to the whole Board, as Frontier continues to grow and evolve.

Company Secretary

Jessica Bourne, Frontier’s current Head of Legal, has been promoted into the role of General Counsel and Company Secretary, effective from today. Jessica joined Frontier in October 2020 and has provided excellent support throughout that time. She is a qualified Solicitor having broad experience of in-house practice in a number of organisations including PA Consulting Group. Jessica has previous experience of the games industry from her time at Ninja Theory Limited and their acquisition by Microsoft in 2018.

Jessica will take over company secretarial responsibilities from Alex Bevis, Chief Financial Officer, which will allow Alex to focus more time on strategic planning and stakeholder management. It will also provide an improved segregation of duties, and will deliver clear leadership across the distinct areas of finance (Alex) and legal (Jessica). Alex will continue to be responsible for all aspects of HR in addition to his finance and investor relations responsibilities.

The following additional information is provided in accordance with Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies.

David Charles Wilton

David Charles Wilton, aged 59, holds 7,000 ordinary shares of 0.5p each in Frontier (“Ordinary Shares”). His current and previous directorships or partnerships are detailed below:

Current directorships and partnerships:

CVS Group plcAuroch Digital LimitedTimbre Games Studio IncPacman Finco LimitedAuroch Digital Coco LimitedAghoco 1952 LimitedSecret Mode LimitedSumo Video Games Private LimitedLab42 LimitedRed Kite Games LimitedRed Kite Software Development LimitedRiverside Games LimitedSumo Digital (Chilli) LimitedSumo Digital (Locus) LimitedThe Chinese Room LimitedSumo Group LimitedAtomhawk Canada LimitedProject Republica Topco LimitedProject Republica Bidco LimitedSumo Digital Holdings LimitedSumo Digital Group LimitedSumo Digital Entertainment LimitedSumo Digital LimitedSumo Games Development LimitedMistral Entertainment LimitedSumo Digital (Genus) LimitedAGHOCO 1337 LimitedCirrus Development LimitedAtomhawk Design Limited

Past directorships and partnerships held within the last 5 years:

Gealka LimitedPacman Reverse Acquisitions Sub, IncPacman Acquisition Sub, IncSumo Digital (Atlantis) Limited

James Alexander DixonJames Alexander Dixon, aged 49, holds 46,859 Ordinary Shares and options over 20,267 Ordinary Shares under the following Frontier Developments plc share schemes:

Mr Dixon’s wife, Katharin Dixon, a person closely associated (“PCA”), also holds 4,321 Ordinary Shares in the  Company.

Mr. Dixon does not have any current or past directorships or partnerships to disclose.

Save as disclosed above, there are no further disclosures to be made in accordance with Rule 17 or Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as amended by The Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The person responsible for making this announcement on behalf of the Company is Alex Bevis.

About Frontier Developments plc

Frontier is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic Elite game. Based in Cambridge, Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for personal computers and videogame consoles. As well as self-publishing internally developed games, Frontier also publishes games developed by carefully selected partner studios under its Frontier Foundry games label.

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Darren Buckner

Darren Buckner

Darren became a member of Simrace247 in January 2021 and has been a valuable addition to the platform ever since. He began his journey as an Editor and has progressed to the position of Editor in Chief, owing to his unwavering commitment and hard work. With his profound interest in motorsport and gaming, Darren is passionate about sharing news and exceptional content with like-minded people worldwide.View Author posts