John Shea has been named chief executive of Octagon Sports and Entertainment Network (OSEN), which oversees a number of agencies including Octagon, R&CPMK, ITB, Futures, FRUKT and Milkmoney.
Shea (pictured) currently serves as global president of Octagon Marketing & Events and will assume day-to-day operating responsibilities of OSEN with immediate effect. Rick Dudley, who has served as OSEN chairman and chief executive for the past 18 years, will remain as chairman and continue to provide strategic direction and support to OSEN’s executive committee.
Shea and Dudley will report to IPG DXTRA chairman and chief executive Andy Polansky. Phil de Picciotto, founder and president of Octagon, will co-manage the agency with Shea, who joined Octagon in 1994.
Since joining Octagon, Shea has overseen the agency’s US and international marketing practices and global marketing offices. He has also led its marketing relationships with major sports leagues, teams and properties.
Learfield IMG College has appointed Jennifer Davis as its chief marketing officer.
Davis has previously held roles at Amazon, Intel and Honeywell. In her new role, she will report to Learfield IMG College president and chief executive Cole Gahagan.
Davis will lead the company’s comprehensive marketing and champion its brand and communications strategy. She joins Learfield IMG College having most recently served as Amazon Web Services’ head of product marketing management for training and certification.
Troy Grant has been elected chairman of the International Rugby League (IRL) governing body.
Grant replaces Greg Barclay, who has stood down from the role following his recent appointment as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Grant is a former politician in his native New South Wales. He was originally appointed as an independent director of IRL in February 2020.
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.
Image: Octagon
