Features

People on the move: Ticketmaster, IOC, Forest Green and more

Jared Smith is to step down as global chairman of Ticketmaster at the end of the year after more than 17 years with the ticketing giant.

Smith (pictured) was promoted to chairman of Ticketmaster’s combined North America and International teams in August as the company detailed plans to become a “truly global” self-service ticketing platform.

However, Smith is set to leave Ticketmaster following discussions with Michael Rapino, chief executive of parent company Live Nation. 
Head to our sister site TheTicketingBusiness.com for the full story.

Ilario Corna will become the International Olympic Committee’s new technology and information director on November 1.

Corna will join the IOC from Swisscom, where he currently serves as executive vice-president for TV and smart products. He previously worked for the Canadian Olympic Broadcasting Consortium during the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics and the London 2012 summer Games.

Corna will replace Gerry Pennell as the IOC’s technology and information director. Pennell will step down from the role and will continue to support the IOC.

League Two football club Forest Green Rovers has appointed musician and artist Robert Del Naja, also known as 3D, as its first artistic director.

Del Naja joins club chairman Dale Vince and Arsenal footballer Hector Bellerin as one of the main investors in Forest Green, which became the world’s first vegan football club in 2015 and went carbon-neutral in 2017.

Del Naja will work with Vince and the club to raise awareness of Forest Green’s environmental and ethical agenda.

Jonathan Browning has stepped down from the board of Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games due to frustration over a “lack of transparency”.

His departure comes after Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), stepped down from her role on the Birmingham 2022 board after political figures had called for more diversity on the executive team. Martin was replaced by Sandra Osborne, president of the Barbados Olympic Committee.

In a letter sent to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and seen by the BBC, Browning announced his departure due to the “poor functioning” of the board.

St. Louis City SC, a Major League Soccer expansion franchise that is due to launch in 2023, has set a first for the league with the appointment of a chief experience officer.

The club has appointed Matt Sebek to the role, which will combine senior marketing and technology responsibilities. Sebek, who will lead the team’s fan engagement efforts, recently joined chief revenue officer Dennis Moore in helping to launch St. Louis City’s season ticket deposit campaign, which generated 50,000 sign-ups in the first 24 hours.

The Utah Warriors Major League Rugby team has named Tyler Howell as its chief revenue officer.

Howell will oversee the Warriors’ revenue streams, including ticketing, sponsorships and merchandise, and will also support the team’s growth as it looks to establish itself on Utah’s sporting scene. His appointment comes after the Warriors recently announced plans for a new 10,000-seat stadium.

Howell formerly served as president of ticketing for the Portland Trailblazers NBA basketball team.

The Warriors have also named Jesse Sanchez as group event manager. Sanchez will report to Howell and will oversee group ticket sales, season tickets and group experiences, with an emphasis on managing the growth of the team’s ticket base in the community. Sanchez previously worked with the Utah Grizzlies ice hockey team and MLS franchise Real Salt Lake.

Paul Lakin has been named as the new chief executive of rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers.

Lakin will take up the role on November 1 and will replace Mike Smith in the role. Smith had initially planned to step down in May this year but stayed with the club amid the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. He will remain at the club and head up its Community Trust.

Danny Klima has started a new role as Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management’s enterprise project management office director and programme director of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix.

Klima has been with the company for more than 10 years and in his current role he is responsible for driving change across all divisions in line with the company’s strategy.

Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.