Gary Hoffman has been appointed as the new non-executive chairman of Coventry Building Society Arena, home of Championship football club Coventry City.
Hoffman is a former chair of the Premier League and his appointment comes after Coventry last month agreed a new five-year deal with Frasers Group to continue playing at the stadium. Hoffman is also a former vice-chairman of the club.
Frasers Group, a British retail company owned by Mike Ashley, secured ownership of the CBS Arena in November. The stadium could be a Premier League ground next season, with Coventry facing Luton Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.
Michael Murray, chief executive of Frasers Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Gary to the Arena. Gary is a lifelong Sky Blues fan and brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role. This appointment is aligned with our commitment to invest in the Arena and support the local community.”
Hoffman added: “I am delighted to be joining Coventry Building Society Arena at such an exciting time for Coventry City FC and the people of Coventry. I look forward to working on behalf of Frasers to benefit the community and further strengthen the Arena’s relationship with all its partners including the club.”
Premier League club Aston Villa and its ownership group V Sports have confirmed the appointment of Chris Heck as president of business operations.
Heck most recently served as president of NBA basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers. He previously held leadership roles at the NBA and Major League Soccer franchise the New York Red Bulls.
In his new role, he will report to Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens and have full responsibility for all business and commercial matters. Heck has assumed the role with immediate effect.
Steve Tadlock has been named senior vice-president of venue relations at LiveCo, the private equity-backed entertainment company led by Brian Becker.
Tadlock joins LiveCo from ASM Global, where he was most recently general manager of Pechanga Arena in San Diego. In his new position, Tadlock will manage facility relationships, content backed-booking deals, and drive LiveCo’s growth in the industry.
Meanwhile, Mark Dinerstein has been promoted from executive vice-president (operations and strategy) to president of LiveCo’s newly formed corporate development group. Dinerstein is an original member of the LiveCo team, playing an instrumental role in the company’s inception in 2021 and official launch in early 2023.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has announced that Jorge Garbajosa has been elected as the new president of FIBA Europe.
Garbajosa, a former FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA Basketball World Cup winner with Spain, takes over from FIBA Europe honorary president Turgay Demirel. Garbajosa also serves as president of the Spanish Basketball Federation.
Garbajosa was elected as FIBA Europe president after receiving 35 of the 50 votes cast. The other candidate was France’s Jean-Pierre Siutat.
Jeff Dodds, chief operating officer at Virgin Media O2, has been appointed as the new chief executive of electric car-racing series Formula E.
Dodds will replace Jamie Reigle and will take up the role on June 5. Dodds previously held leadership roles at Virgin Media and Tele2.
Reigle has served as Formula E chief executive since 2019, joining from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams where he worked as executive vice-president of business operations. He previously worked as group commercial director at Manchester United.
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.
