Animoca Brands named Alan Lau chief business officer in its own announcement on July 21, 20221. The Hong Kong gaming company put him in charge of its more than 340 portfolio companies, its mergers and acquisitions and its business development. Lau had been chairman and chief executive of WeSure, Tencent's in-house insurance arm, which insured more than 100 million families in China, Animoca's release said.
Four leadership moves at Animoca Brands on the record since 2022
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 21, 2022 | Lau became Chief Business Officer. Alan Lau was named Chief Business Officer of Animoca Brands |
| March 6, 2025 | Quoc became General counsel. Jamii Quoc was named General counsel of Animoca Brands |
| Dec. 15, 2025 | Madden joined the board. John Madden joined the board of Animoca Brands |
| Dec. 15, 2025 | Brickler left the board. David Brickler left the board of Animoca Brands |
37 executive hires on the record in 2022
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2022: 37
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
A business officer from outside crypto
Lau's appointment put a career insurance and consulting executive in charge of M&A at Animoca1. Before Tencent, Lau spent nearly two decades at McKinsey. He led the firm's Greater China finance practice. Lau later ran McKinsey Digital for Asia. Evan Auyang, Animoca's president, explained the pick in the company's own words. “Alan brings to us both the depth and breadth of business experience from Tencent WeSure, where he built the business from the ground up, as well as nearly two decades of experience at McKinsey,” Auyang said. “He provides valuable perspective and expertise as we look to further synergize our portfolio of over 340 investments.”
Why recruit from insurance and consulting instead of from a rival exchange? Animoca's release pointed to Lau's standing outside crypto as the asset, rather than a gap to fill. Lau sits on multiple museum boards. He serves as vice-chair of M+ in Hong Kong and co-chair of the Asia committees at Tate and the Guggenheim, a profile Animoca tied to the metaverse and NFT industry's reach into art1.
The portfolio Lau inherited
TechCrunch reported that Animoca, founded as a mobile games developer in 2014, had grown into one of the most active web3 investors. Animoca counted more than 300 companies in its portfolio by mid-20222. Its holdings included The Sandbox, Sky Mavis, Dapper Labs and OpenSea. Animoca employed more than 700 people worldwide. A $360 million funding round had pushed its own valuation past $5 billion. TechCrunch cited the company's own financial report, which valued the portfolio at more than $1.5 billion across 340 investments in April 2022.
What came next
Lau left Animoca Brands for a new chairmanship. Hubbis reported on July 10, 2026, that GROW Digital Wealth, a Hong Kong wealth-technology platform, named him chairman of its board, describing him as joining "from Animoca Brands, where he served as chief business officer"3. The wealth platform said Lau would help guide its strategy as it builds an AI-enabled service for independent financial advisers. “AI is reshaping the workflow and economics of wealth management in ways that weren't even possible a year ago,” Lau told Hubbis. “AI is used to help build trust, not to replace the advisor.”
Hubbis also listed board seats Lau took on during his Animoca years. He became an independent director at Tapestry, the New York-listed parent of Coach and Kate Spade. Lau also joined Hong Kong's Insurance Authority Industry Advisory Committee3. Both seats sit outside crypto, the kind of experience Animoca cited when it hired him in 2022.
Sources
- Animoca Brands, "Animoca Brands appoints Alan Lau as chief business officer, Minh Do as co-chief operating officer, other senior appointments," July 21, 2022, https://www.animocabrands.com/appoints-alan-lau-chief-business-officer-minh-do-co-chief-operating-officer
- Rita Liao, "Former Tencent insurance boss joins web3 powerhouse Animoca Brands," TechCrunch, July 19, 2022, https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/tencent-insurance-web3-animoca-brands/
- Hubbis, "GROW Digital Wealth Appoints Alan Lau as Chairman," July 10, 2026, https://www.hubbis.com/news/grow-digital-wealth-appoints-alan-lau-as-chairman