John Riccitiello

John Riccitiello
Riccitiello in 2011
Nationality	American
Education	Bachelor of Science
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	CEO
Employer	Unity Technologies
Known for	CEO of Electronic Arts, Unity Technologies
Salary	$800,000.00
Net worth	$10 million
Predecessor	Larry Probst
Successor	Andrew Wilson

John Riccitiello is an American businessman who served as President and Chief Operating Officer (from 1997 to 2004),CEO (from 2007 to 2013) of Electronic Arts (EA); currently CEO of Unity Technologies (since 2014).

Riccitiello received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley in 1981, graduating with honors.

He then worked in a variety of consumer product companies including The Clorox Company (Brand Manager), PepsiCo (Group Marketing Director), and Häagen-Dazs International (Managing Director). He accepted his first CEO position in 1993 when he became President and CEO of Wilson Sporting Goods. In 1996 he became President and CEO of Sara Lee Corporation's Sara Lee Bakery Worldwide.

From October 1997 through April 2004, Riccitiello became President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Electronic Arts. Responsible for global publishing, online, and corporate functions, his background in global consumer marketing helped facilitate the expansion of EA's video games into the worldwide mass market.

During his tenure, EA emerged as the world's largest maker of video games, with sales rising from about $673 million in 1997 to more than $3 billion in fiscal year 2004. Profit rose from $51.3 million in 1997 to $577 million in fiscal year 2004.

Significant business milestones during this period included EA's online gaming partnership with AOL, a dual joint venture with Square, Japan's most successful interactive entertainment software company, and a general transition towards the increased importance of larger franchises such as the Madden NFL line of sports games. Riccitiello and studio chief Don Mattrick also notably encouraged the company to get behind The Sims, developed by Will Wright, which later became one of the best-selling EA game series of all time.