Bitreserve has announced a change of leadership, one that sees its chief operating officer and president Anthony Watson taking on the role of CEO.

Watson, who previous served as CIO for Nike, follows founder Halsey Minor in the CEO role. Minor will stay on as a board member and "chief visionary" with a focus on long-term product planning.

In the announcement post, Minor wrote that Tim Parsa – who previously served as the company's CEO – has been named the company's chief compliance officer and head of regulatory affairs.

Watson said that his promotion to the CEO role had been planned since he first joined Bitreserve earlier this year, framing the move "a logical extension" of his relationship with the company.

Watson told CoinDesk:

The leadership change comes amid of a service push by the company.

Earlier this month, Bitreserve announced free currency conversions for verified users, and recently launched Bitreserve Connect, a developer platform that Watson said has exceeded expectations in terms of developer interest.

The company is planning further roll-outs over the course of the summer and beyond. Declining to offer specifics, Watson said Bitreserve is planning "game-changing" announcements and characterized them as a mixture of hires, partnerships and product releases.

Images via Bitreserve, Shutterstock