Appointments

People on the move: Arsenal, Oak View Group and more

Featured image credit: Arsenal

Arsenal has announced that chief executive Vinai Venkatesham will be leaving next summer after 14 years with the Premier League club.

Venkatesham (pictured left) joined Arsenal in 2010 as head of global partnerships and later served as chief commercial officer and managing director before being promoted to chief executive in September 2020.

Prior to joining Arsenal, he was commercial manager for the London 2012 Olympic Games and also spent time at Deloitte as a strategy consultant.

Venkatesham said: “This was a tough decision, but it is time to pursue another challenge. Now is not the time for goodbyes as I remain focused until my last day and supporting a seamless transition.”

Ela Greatorex has joined Oak View Group as a vice-president of venue development, working on new projects, builds and operational readiness.

Her first project will be Co-op Live, a new 23,500-capacity arena opening in Manchester next year. Before joining Oak View Group, she worked as the venue manager for the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Greatorex (pictured right) has also worked as senior project manager for Legends International, director of the Singapore Indoor Stadium and OCBC Arena, assistant manager at Twickenham Stoop Stadium, and event manager at Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul.

GoVision, a provider of large-scale LED video displays, has announced the promotion of Jeremy Saatsaz to senior director of service and systems.

Saatsaz has served as director of services since GoVision’s reacquisition earlier this year from ANC, where he previously served as director of operations. He joined the company in 2015 and has expanded GoVision’s repair offerings to support audiovisual rental and integration firms across the US.

Major League Soccer team New York Red Bulls has named Joe Stetson as its chief commercial officer, while Elisa Padilla has been appointed chief marketing officer.

Stetson joined the Red Bulls in 2014 as vice-president of marketing and communications before being promoted to chief marketing and revenue officer in 2018. In his new role, he will oversee commercial matters, including sponsorships, premium sales and services, ticketing sales, service and operations, and Red Bull Youth programmes.

Padilla joins the Red Bulls with over two decades in sports and entertainment brand marketing. She has previously worked for the Miami Marlins, Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center.

Christina Giunta-Quarino has also been appointed chief of staff at the Red Bulls, while Claire Noonan has been named head of human resources. All four will report directly to Red Bulls president and general manager Marc de Grandpré.

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.