FREDERIC CHESNAIS

About FREDERIC CHESNAIS

Frédéric Chesnais is a French executive and entrepreneur widely known for his leadership in the video game industry and, more recently, in blockchain-related businesses and digital assets. He graduated from Sciences Po Paris and holds training in finance and law. Over the course of his career, he held senior roles at several major technology and entertainment businesses, including HP, Disney, Infogrames, and Atari. At Atari, he built deep expertise in corporate strategy, finance, operations, and international development. He later became CEO of Atari, and that role gave him a prominent profile as a turnaround and transformation leader. His career is especially associated with Atari’s pivot toward blockchain, NFTs, and virtual worlds. In April 2021, Atari announced the creation of two divisions, Atari Gaming and Atari Blockchain, with Chesnais assigned to focus on blockchain and licensing while a separate CEO took over the wider group. This move reflected his expertise at the intersection of brand monetization, intellectual property, and emerging technologies. In June 2021, Atari also entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Crypto Blockchain Industries (CBI), a company founded and led by Chesnais, for the development of blockchain-enabled virtual worlds. To avoid conflicts of interest, he resigned from Atari SA’s board at that time. Chesnais then concentrated on CBI, a French company focused on blockchain investment and development. CBI’s positioning spans interactive entertainment, virtual worlds, NFTs, and broader crypto-related activities, with a portfolio-and-partnership approach designed to capture value from digital asset ecosystems. As CBI’s chief executive, Chesnais combines strategic planning, capital allocation, brand-building, and technology commercialization. In the context of French listed companies, he stands out as an executive who has repeatedly steered recognizable entertainment brands toward new digital growth avenues, while remaining closely associated with both Atari’s blockchain strategy and CBI’s expansion.