Appointments

People on the move: QPR, Stadium Support Services and more

Featured image credit: Stadium Support Services

Featured image credit: Stadium Support Services

Championship football club Queens Park Rangers has announced that Amit Bhatia has stepped down as chairman, with Lee Hoos assuming the position alongside his duties as chief executive.

Bhatia has been involved with QPR for more than 16 seasons, initially as vice-chairman and subsequently as chairman for the past five years. He will remain on the board alongside the club’s other shareholders.

In a show of commitment, the Bhatia family has entered into an additional three-year commercial deal which will see the South Africa Road Stand at Loftus Road renamed The Bhatia Stand. QPR recently announced a deal for MATRADE, a Malaysian national trade promotion agency, to take on naming rights to Loftus Road.

Stadium Support Services, a national provider of facilities management, commercial cleaning and rope access services, has appointed Scott Hudson as its new managing director.

Hudson (pictured) has been a part of the company’s senior management team since 2015 and previously served as operations director. He will take over as managing director from Stadium Support Services founder Kevin Hudson, who will transition to the position of chairman and step back from day-to-day management of the company.

Stadium Support Services has partnerships with the likes of Wembley Stadium, QPR and Birmingham City.

The New York Mets Major League Baseball franchise has announced that Keechant Sewell, the former New York City Police Commissioner, will be joining the team in a newly created position as senior vice-president of security and guest experience.

Sewell will join the Mets on November 27 and will report to Katie Haas, executive vice-president of ballpark operations and experience. Sewell left the New York Police Department in June after 18 months.

Hospitality company Delaware North has added Anthony Kleinman and Datza Pogson to its management team at UBS Arena, home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

Kleinman has been promoted to general manager for Delaware North and will continue to oversee a team of salaried managers and all aspects of the arena’s food and beverage operation.

He was part of Delaware North’s pre-opening design team that guided the development and implementation of the venue’s foodservice programme. Kleinman joined Delaware North in 2015 as concessions manager at Xfinity Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, before becoming director of concessions at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Pogson, meanwhile, was recently hired as assistant general manager at UBS Arena under Kleinman. She most recently served as associate store team leader for Whole Foods Market and previously led premium catering, club and suite operations at Madison Square Garden from 2011 to 2016.

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.