Appointments

People on the move: Brighton, Sphere Entertainment and more

Featured image credit: Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion has announced that Paul Barber has signed a new long-term contract to continue as deputy chair and chief executive of the Premier League club until 2030.

Barber joined the club in 2012 from Major League Soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps, having previously held roles at Tottenham Hotspur and the Football Association. In his 12 years at Brighton, he has overseen impressive growth for the club, which has established itself in the Premier League and qualified for Europe for the first time.

Barber also oversaw the renewal of Brighton’s multi-year deal with American Express and the expansion of American Express Stadium’s capacity from 22,000 to 32,000. His new contract coincides with Brighton’s annual accounts announcement, which saw a British record for football club profitability.

Sphere Entertainment Company has announced that Ned McNeilage has joined the company as chief creative officer of Sphere.

McNeilage will help shape the creative and brand strategy for the Sphere entertainment medium, with his appointment following the opening of the first Sphere venue in Las Vegas in September. He will lead Sphere’s in-house creative design studio and brand teams, overseeing all brand strategy and creative.

MSG Sports, which owns the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers, has announced the departure of president and chief operating officer David Hopkinson.

No reason was given for Hopkinson’s departure, but MSG Sports said that he would be receiving severance pay in line with his employment agreement. Hopkinson previously worked at Real Madrid as head of global partnerships.

Ticketing and live entertainment services provider CTS Eventim has appointed lawyer Tilman Wink as the company’s new general counsel, and head of the legal department.

Wink has taken on the role from his predecessor, Rainer Appel. He will advise CTS Eventim on all legal matters, including offering support for the company in its future M&A activities.

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.