SteelSeries Appoints Bruce Hawver New Chief Executive Officer

Copenhagen, Denmark - August 20th, 2007 -- SteelSeries, a leading manufacturer of innovative professional gaming gear, today announced that Bruce Hawver, 38, has been named chief executive officer. Hawver succeeds Michael von Essen-Müller, 35, who has functioned as chief executive officer since the company's inception in 2001. The new appointment is effective September 1st.

Copenhagen, Denmark (PRWEB) August 22, 2007 -- SteelSeries, a leading manufacturer of innovative professional gaming gear, today announced that Bruce Hawver, 38, has been named chief executive officer. Hawver succeeds Michael von Essen-Müller, 35, who has functioned as chief executive officer since the company's inception in 2001. The new appointment is effective September 1st.

Hawver joins SteelSeries with nine years of experience in advising and leading rapid growth businesses. He previously served as Corporate Vice President at Motorola Enterprise Devices, where he managed 400 employees and created new technology products. In less than three years, Hawver grew the accessory business unit from $190M to over $1.2B in revenue. Hawver led teams responsible for defining, developing and launching Smartphone devices and successfully captured and maintained global market share lead in Bluetooth audio products. Prior to the accessory business, Hawver served as Senior Director of Strategy, and later as Senior Director of Pricing for the Mobile Device business.

Before joining Motorola, Hawver held a position as Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey and Company, working on growth strategies, channel development and operational improvement across several industries.

"Bruce's experience in building and managing rapid growth business makes him an ideal successor as CEO of SteelSeries," says Michael von Essen-Müller, outgoing Chief Executive Officer for SteelSeries. "Building and establishing SteelSeries as a leading peripherals manufacturer within the hardcore gaming space has been both challenging and fun. I strongly believe that both the brand and the amazingly talented employees within the company are set to take it to the next level."

"I continue to be amazed regarding the market position and overall growth that SteelSeries has enjoyed under Michael's leadership," says Bruce Hawver, incoming Chief Executive Officer for SteelSeries. "I am excited about developing and integrating new technology to give gamers a competitive edge, and as electronic sports continue to enjoy explosive growth worldwide it will be interesting to take the company to new levels of creative and financial success."

Essen-Müller is retiring his current position for a new career as Danish Director of Sales at Fujitsu Siemens Computers Consumer Division, but remains closely connected to SteelSeries as a member of the Advisory Board.

About SteelSeries:
SteelSeries is a leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, software, and gaming surfaces. SteelSeries have been on the forefront of professional gaming gear since its inception in 2001, thanks to continued innovation and product development in cooperation with leading professional gamers. All SteelSeries products are developed in cooperation with professional gamers to ensure optimum performance and durability. SteelSeries supports the growth of competitive gaming and electronic sports through significant sponsoring of teams and support of communities, tournaments and LAN-events all over the world. For additional information, visit http://www.steelseries.com.

###