Features

People on the move: Chelsea, First Direct Arena, OVG and more

Premier League football club Chelsea has announced that Bruce Buck is stepping down as chairman after 19 years.

Buck will step down from the position on June 30 but will continue to support the club as a senior advisor. The move comes after a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed its acquisition of Chelsea last month, and The Times has reported that Boehly will replace Buck as chairman.

During Buck’s time as chairman, Chelsea earned 18 major trophies, more than any other English club.

Oak View Group, the global venue development, advisory and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, has hired Marc Badain and Randy Morton to lead its planned retail and entertainment district in Las Vegas that will have a $1bn (£817m/€949m) arena as its focal point.

Badain (pictured left) is the former president of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and has been named president of OVG’s Las Vegas sports and entertainment venues. Morton (pictured centre), a seasoned casino and resort executive, will be president of OVG’s Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Read our story from last week for full details.

Ramón Ramírez is reportedly set to resign as director of Espai Barça, FC Barcelona’s wide-ranging project which includes a major redevelopment of the LaLiga club’s Camp Nou stadium.

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Ramírez will step down on August 30 due to family reasons and because of Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s restructuring of the Espai Barça organisational team.

ASM Global has announced the appointment of Martin McInulty as general manager of Leeds’ First Direct Arena.

McInulty (pictured right) has worked at the arena for five years as head of operations. He previously held roles at Leeds Town Hall, The Carriageworks Theatre, and Harrogate Convention Centre.

McInulty commences his new role as First Direct Arena prepares to host acts such as Diana Ross, Kaiser Chiefs and Rod Stewart this year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers NBA basketball has announced a series of promotions and title changes.

Chris Kaiser has been promoted from vice-president of marketing to senior vice-president and chief marketing officer, with Conor Kenney having been promoted from senior director to vice-president of product and technology. Patrick Scanlon has been promoted from senior director to vice-president of guest experience, while Zack Yohman has been elevated from director to vice-president of corporate and strategic communications.

Kevin Clayton has been elevated to senior vice-president and head of social impact and equity, while Mike Conley has been promoted from senior vice-president to executive vice-president and chief information officer.

Stefanie Meade has added executive vice-president to her current chief financial officer title, while Meg Murray will serve as executive vice-president, general counsel and business administration. Heather Brockler has been promoted from senior director to vice-president of people and culture, and B.J. Evans has been promoted from director to vice-president of basketball communications.

Elsewhere, John Walker will step down as president of business operations at Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo at the end of the 2022 season.

Walker has been at the club for four seasons, overseeing a club rebrand and improvements at PNC Stadium such as new video boards, premium seating areas and safe standing for supporters. A search for his successor is underway.

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.