Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based VP’ operating in the Sports space. If you think a VP’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Lauren Hobart
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Chelsea Collective General Manager of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Lauren Hobart joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in February 2011 as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Lauren currently serves as the Company’s Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer and Chelsea Collective General Manager. In this role, she oversees marketing for all of the Company’s lines of business, as well as the strategy, merchandising and operations for our specialty shop, Chelsea Collective. In addition, Lauren serves as the President of The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation. Prior to joining DICK’S, Lauren spent 14 years at PepsiCo in various roles, culminating in being the CMO of Carbonated Soft Drinks in North America. In addition to other significant marketing roles within PepsiCo, Lauren also worked with JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo earlier in her career. Since January 2014, Lauren has served on Sonic Corporation’s Board of Directors.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
George Giacobbe
Senior Vice President – Supply Chain of Dick’s Sporting Goods
George Giacobbe joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in 1999 as a Department Manager at the Smithton Distribution Center. George Giacobbe was promoted to the Director of Logistics and Project Manager in 2006, and has since held the roles of Senior Director of Operations for the Plainfield Distribution Center and VP of Supply Chain. In 2014, George Giacobbe was promoted to the role of SVP of Supply Chain. Prior to joining DICK’S, George Giacobbe employed with Lord & Taylor for 15 years, where he started as an executive trainee and held increasing roles of responsibility in operations.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Paul Gaffney
EVP & CTO of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Bill Goldberg joined MediMedia as Chief Executive Officer in 2011.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods, MediMedia, The Aspen Institute: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Daniel Ostrowski
Senior Vice President, Store Environment of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dan Ostrowski was named Senior Vice President, Store Environment in November 2013, overseeing all aspects of our Store Environment. Dan Ostrowski joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in 1999 as a Director of Stores in Field Operations. In 2005, he took on the role of Vice President of New Stores, and in 2008 his role was expanded to include Construction and Facilities and again in 2012 to oversee all facets of the Store Environment as the Vice President of Store Environment.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Steve Mironov
Vice President, Store Operations of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Steve is a customer focused, results oriented operations professional with over twenty years of store operations experience growing sales, reducing expense, and streamlining operations. He is the Vice President, Store Operations for Dick’s Sporting Goods, where he has worked for the last seven years and is responsible for workforce management, operational planning and communications, store process and systems, and operational reporting and analytics.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
John Hayes
Senior Vice President – General Counsel & Secretary of Dick’s Sporting Goods
John Hayes joined DICK’S Sporting Goods as Senior Vice President – General Counsel & Secretary in January 2015. Prior to joining DICK’S, John served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at Coldwater Creek. During his tenure with Coldwater he also served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources and interim Senior Vice President and CFO. Prior to Coldwater, John was a partner with various prestigious law firms, including Hogan & Hartson, LLP in Boulder, CO, and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP in Broomfield, CO.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Jason Williams
Vice President, Customer Technology of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Jason Williams is the Vice President of Customer Technology at Dick’s Sporting Goods. He is responsible leading the engineering efforts focused on delivering solutions impacting the customer’s journey. Jason has played a significant role in the ongoing digital transformation at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Michele Willoughby
Executive Vice President – eCommerce & Supply Chain of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Michele Willoughby joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in March 2004 as Vice President – Planning and Allocation. She was promoted to Senior Vice President – Supply Chain in 2009 after serving as a key leader in our integration of the former Chick’s Sporting Goods business in California. In November 2010, the Company added eCommerce to her responsibilities. In July 2013, Michele Willoughby was promoted to Executive Vice President – Inventory, Supply Chain and eCommerce.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
JP Elliott
Vice President of Talent Management of Dick’s Sporting Goods
JP Elliott is the VP of talent management at Dick’s Sporting Goods at DICK’S Sporting Goods.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Alexander Tomey
Senior Vice President – GMM Athletic Apparel, Licensed & Accessories / Footwear / Outerwear Apparel of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Alex Tomey joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in June 2011 leading our Apparel and Footwear Merchandising categories. Previously, Alex Tomey was Vice President Product Development and Design for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he was responsible for their private and exclusive brand portfolio including apparel, accessories, outerwear and shoes. During his tenure, he led the creation of Wal-Mart’s New York Apparel Office as well as managing all aspects of Kid’s Apparel. Before joining Wal-Mart, Alex Tomey held Merchandising and Product Development roles with Famous Barr and Kohl’s Department Stores.
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About Dick’s Sporting Goods: Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment
Erika Decker
Vice President, Adidas Originals Brand Communications of Adidas
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About Adidas: Adidas is a global sports brand that manufactures apparel, accessories, and footwear for professional athletes involved in various sports.
James Carnes
Vice President of Brand Strategy Global of Adidas
James Carnes is the Vice President of Brand Strategy Global of Adidas. James has worked in the company since 2002. He first holds the position as Head of Design in 2002. After four years, he became Vice President of Design. In June 2009, he was the Senior Vice President of Design Global Creative Director Performance for almost six years. James earned his Bachelors in Industrial Design at University of Michigan.
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About Adidas: Adidas is a global sports brand that manufactures apparel, accessories, and footwear for professional athletes involved in various sports.
Pat Moriarty
Senior Vice President of Football Administration of Baltimore Ravens
Pat Moriarty, the team’s senior vice president of football administration, has been a key part of the franchise since 1994. A longtime member of the Ravens’ personnel staff, Moriarty was one of the NFL’s original “capologists.” He is responsible for the management and strategic planning of the Ravens’ salary cap. Moriarty’s NFL career began as a rookie free agent RB for the Browns in 1979. The Cleveland native negotiates all of the Ravens’ player contracts, oversees salary cap administration, roster management and the day-to-day operations of the player personnel department. Moriarty is the key liaison with the NFL Management Council and Players Association. Over the course of 20 years, Moriarty has negotiated player contracts totaling over $1 billion. He has negotiated contracts for 20 Ravens first-round draft choices, as well as numerous free agents. He also analyzes draft-day trades during the NFL selection process each spring. Moriarty works closely with GM Ozzie Newsome in many areas, including helping to coordinate the budgets of the scouting, coaching, equipment, football video, training, and strength and conditioning departments. In 2008, Moriarty was part of an eight-member committee to select head coach John Harbaugh. Earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from Georgia Tech, where he was a three-year starter at RB…Later earned his master’s degree (1993) in business administration from John Carroll University…Earned All-State honors in both football and track at Benedictine (Cleveland, OH) HS and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2002…Brother, Tom, played five years in the NFL as a DB, four with Atlanta and one with Pittsburgh…Moriarty, who is on the NFL Management Council’s Working Club Executive Committee for the 10th-straight year, is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law…Has been a guest speaker at numerous events, including Loyola University, Univ. of Maryland Law School, Univ. of Maryland Business School and the Univ. of Baltimore School of Law, where he spoke on sports and entertainment law…Moriarty is also on the Board of Advisors for the University of Baltimore School of Law.. .Has participated in the annual Ravens’ event, A Purple Evening (football sessions for women), speaking on the NFL’s salary cap…He and his wife, Lynn, are the parents of son, Kevin (25), who works at the technical staffing firm Fortitude Systems (McLean, VA), and played midfield on the 2012 NCAA National Championship Loyola University lacrosse team, and daughters, Laura (22), a recent graduate of UNC-Wilmington, and Katherine (19), a freshman at Fairfield University.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Bob Eller
Senior Vice President Operations of Baltimore Ravens
Bob Eller is a Vice President of Operations at Baltimore Ravens.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Chad Steele
Senior Vice President of Communications of Baltimore Ravens
Chad Steele is a Senior Vice President of Communications at Baltimore Ravens.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Ozzie Newsome
General Manager & Executive Vice President of Baltimore Ravens
Though he has flourished at every point of his football career, it’s wrong to say that Newsome has followed a successful path. Instead, he has blazed the trail – one on which success has actually followed him. Known throughout all of sports as a premier leader, Newsome is a Hall of Fame player, the architect of Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLVII championship teams and an elite personnel evaluator who became the NFL’s first African American general manager (2002). “Ozzie’s credibility is what stands out the most,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh states. “And it’s not just about what he has accomplished. To me, it’s his commitment and focus while striving to do more.” Newsome’s remarkable football journey began in Leighton, AL, where he first stepped on the gridiron with the hope of playing for the University of Alabama. That dream turned into a reality when he went on to star for the Crimson Tide under Bear Bryant from 1974-77. “Coach Bryant helped me grow up,” states Newsome, who has a sideline portrait of the legendary coach and mentor on his office wall. “He pushed me further than I thought I could go, both on and off the field.” In 1978, Cleveland selected Newsome in the first round of the NFL Draft. Playing 13 years for the Browns, he authored the most productive career for a tight end in the history of the game. A three-time Pro Bowler, his 662 receptions for 7,980 yards and 47 TDs stood as NFL records by a tight end until Shannon Sharpe surpassed those marks in 2001 (Tony Gonzalez has since broken those records). Following his storied playing days, Ozzie joined Cleveland’s front office. His initial non-player position came as an assignment scout in 1991. Two years later, he was promoted to a very comprehensive assignment – assistant to the head coach/offense/pro personnel. “I had to find out which direction my career would go,” Newsome explains. “Art [Modell] gave me the opportunity to work with the coaches, and I enjoyed that. At the same time, I increased my experience with the personnel department and decided that’s where I wanted my career to head.”
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Baker Koppelman
Vice President of Ticket Sales & Operations of Baltimore Ravens
Baker Koppelman is a Vice President of Ticket Sales & Operations at Baltimore Ravens.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Kevin Rochlitz
Vice President of Baltimore Ravens
Kevin Rochlitz is a Vice President of Corporate Sales & Business Development at Baltimore Ravens.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Kevin Byrne
Senior Vice President of Baltimore Ravens
Byrne Kevin joined Baltimore Ravens as Senior Vice President.
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About Baltimore Ravens: Our mission is to win football games, serve our fans, and be a positive force in the community.
Paraag Marathe
Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of NFL
Paraag Marathe (puh-rawg, muh-RAH-tay) is in his 16th year with the 49ers, and first as Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Marathe is also a Managing Partner in the investment entity created by the York Family. On the team side, Marathe reports directly to 49ers CEO Jed York and has a significant role in major strategic decisions for the club as Chief Strategy Officer. He also continues in his long-respected role as the team’s chief contract negotiator and salary cap architect, while overseeing the team’s football analytics department. As part of the 49ers York family’s investment entity, Marathe has already led a number of transactions as the team looks for investment opportunities in and out of sports to expand the 49ers brand. In 2015, Marathe was selected as a member of the Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.
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About NFL: NFL is a professional sports league in the U.S. that acts as a trade association for franchise owners to promote the sport and much more.
Bill McCullough
Vice President and Head of Content Development of NFL
Bill McCullough is an 11-time Emmy Award winner who now serves as Vice President/Head of Content Development for NFL Media. After 2 award-winning seasons as a Creative Director in the Marketing group, Bill will now move to the content side of the organization where he will be tasked with developing and executing a multi-platform content strategy for NFL Media. The former Vice President of HBO Sports and Executive Producer of GoPro Entertainment has earned a reputation for developing and producing premium content like Dude Perfect Super Bowl Trick Shots (27M+ views) and the 8-part Facebook docu-series Hala Madrid! (30M+ views).
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About NFL: NFL is a professional sports league in the U.S. that acts as a trade association for franchise owners to promote the sport and much more.
Blake Stuchin
VP, Digital Media Business Development of NFL
Blake Stuchin is Vice President, Digital Media Business Development at National Football League (NFL).
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About NFL, Pine Brook Fitness: NFL is a professional sports league in the U.S. that acts as a trade association for franchise owners to promote the sport and much more.
Lisa Baird
SVP Marketing and Consumer Products of NFL
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About NFL: NFL is a professional sports league in the U.S. that acts as a trade association for franchise owners to promote the sport and much more.
Luca Franchi
VP, Tech Futures CIS of Sky UK
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About Sky UK: Sky is an entertainment company, serving 22 million customers across satellite, OTT, and broadband in five countries.
Rajneel Ganjoo
VP, Product Development of Fantex
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About Fantex: Fantex is a financial service company creating a non-correlated asset category with stocks tied to the earnings of professional athletes.
Jon Mayfield
CEO and VP, Product R&D of Zwift
Zwift Co-Founder and Vice President of Product at Zwift. He is a games industry veteran, having worked at Applied Minds and High Impact Games before his hobby project of Zwift turned pro.
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About Zwift: Zwift operates an online fitness platform used to transform monotonous solo indoor cycling into dynamic and social adventures.
Todd Parnell
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Richmond Flying Squirrels of MLB Advanced Media
“Parney” serves as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. In that role he oversees all aspects of the Flying Squirrels’ day-to-day operations in Richmond, including the recent $1.5 million renovation of The Diamond, the Squirrels’ stadium. During their inaugural season, the club quickly established itself as a leader in the community, while smashing corporate and ticket sales expectations as the Squirrels led the Eastern League in both overall and average attendance, welcoming 463,842 fans to The Diamond. Upon completion of the inaugural season, the franchise was recognized as the Richmond Business of the Year by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. “Parney” also serves on the Richmond Chapter of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Board of Trustees as well as the Richmond Police Athletic League Board of Directors. With his flamboyant personality and 22 years’ experience in minor league baseball, “Parney” has become one of the most popular speakers and guest lecturers in the region. Prior to joining the effort to return baseball to Richmond, Parnell served as the President of the Greenberg Sports Group (GSG), which provides management, consulting, and marketing services to the U.S. sports industry. GSG also manages the overall operations of Minor League Baseball’s Pennsylvania State College Spikes and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He held the title of President for both franchises. The 43-year old “Parney” graduated from Messiah College in 1988 with a degree in physical education and a minor in business.
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About MLB Advanced Media: MLB.TV is a website that offers news, schedules, standings, and statistics related to baseball.
Ori Birnbaum
Senior Vice President, Product and Technology, EE of Endeavor
Ori Birnbaum is the Senior Vice President, Product and Technology, and EE of Endeavor.
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About Endeavor, Fahlo, TV Time: ENDEAVOR is a global media company in the fields of sports, events, media and fashion.
Kary Brock
Vice President of Endeavor
Kary Brock, a 2018 Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award winner, brings marketing experience across agency, media, brand and property roles. Currently, Brock oversees the account team for Anheuser-Busch within the Endeavor Global Marketing Group. One of Brock’s primary roles at Endeavor is managing the strategy for the entire US sports portfolio for AB – overseeing direction and activation across such properties as the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, golf, running, NASCAR, college sports, soccer, esports, surfing, UFC and other. Previously, she has overseen all marketing efforts for the IMG’s College division leading a group responsible for ideating, developing, positioning and pitching successful sponsorship and brand strategies for new partners.
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About Endeavor: ENDEAVOR is a global media company in the fields of sports, events, media and fashion.
Keith Friedenberg
EVP, Global Insights Group of Endeavor
Keith Friedenbergis a Partner and Executive Vice President, Global Insights Group at WME | IMG, a global leader in sports, entertainment, media, and fashion. Operating in more than 25 countries around the world, the company specializes in talent representation, commercial marketing and endorsements, brand licensing, event management, and media production and distribution. WME | IMG businesses include IMG Academy, Art + Commerce, Books, College, Commercials and Endorsements, Consulting, Digital, Events, Film, Golf, Licensing, Models, Music, Production, Speakers, Television, Tennis, and Theater. Prior to joining Endeavor in 2008, Friedenberg spent seven years with Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights, where he supervised consumer, media and brand research operations for divisions including domestic television distribution, gaming, consumer products and emerging technology. Friedenberg has 25 years of media research experience, spanning such companies as Walt Disney, New World Entertainment and Cannell Studios. A University of Southern California alumnus, Friedenberg currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
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About Endeavor: ENDEAVOR is a global media company in the fields of sports, events, media and fashion.
Imari Oliver
VP, Sales & Global Partnerships of Endeavor
Imari currently leads Sales and Global Partnerships for Esports at WME | IMG. In this role, his focus is on partnering with brands to design esports strategies and activations that helps them authentically integrate within the world of esports. Imari believes that brands need an experienced partner to arrive at a purposeful and focused understanding of the entire esports value chain to inform their planning. He combines his esports knowledge and leadership with more than 15+ years of experience in consumer marketing strategy, planning, and media to design uniquely distinctive brand opportunities around esports. Prior to WME | IMG, Imari was VP of Cultural Strategy at sparks & honey. While there, he was the lead cultural strategist for the retained brand accounts. He focused on uncovering consumer insights and market place dynamics that highlighted the value of culture as a strategic business imperative. He also produced the first Esports Industry Brand Summit Event, attracting dozens of individual brands, agencies, investors and operators and led the production of an industry standard esports 101 playbook and the subsequent Esports Brand User Manual. Imari’s marketing, sales and advertising expertise is broad and varied and he continues to leverage his experience and industry relationships to create best in class consumer activations.
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About Endeavor: ENDEAVOR is a global media company in the fields of sports, events, media and fashion.
Joe Ross
VP, Content of theScore
Joe is responsible for theScore’s content strategy and execution, and oversaw the creation of the company’s innovative ‘mobile first’ newsroom. He began his career with theScore Television Network in 2000, and worked in a variety roles including live television hosting, announcing highlights and writing for theScore.com before moving into content development.
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About theScore, theScore: TheScore creates mobile-first sports experiences through real-time news, scores, fantasy information, and alerts.
Paul Moulton
Executive Vice President – CIO of Costco
Paul Moulton is EVP and CIO of Costco Wholesale Corporation. In this role, Moulton is responsible for the direction of all technology and information systems of Costco Wholesale worldwide. Moulton has been with Costco for 30 years and has served on the company’s executive committee for 23 years.
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Jeff Abadir
Senior Vice President, General Manager of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
James P. Murphy
Executive Vice President, International of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Caton Frates
Senior Vice President, General Manager of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Jaime Gonzalez
Senior Vice President, General Manager- Mexico of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Mario Omoss
Senior Vice President, General Manager, Northwest Region of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Rich Olin
Senior Vice President, and General Counsel of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Kathy Kearney
VP, Merchandise Accounting Controller of Costco
Kathy Kearney is the VP, Merchandise Accounting Controller at Costco Wholesale.
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Don Burdick
SVP Global eCommerce of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Timothy L. Rose
Executive Vice President, Costco Wholesale Industries of Costco
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About Costco: Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that provides a wide selection of merchandise.
Kristen Holmes-Winn
VP Performance of WHOOP
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About WHOOP: WHOOP is a performance optimization system that tracks athlete recovery, training, and sleeping hours to help boost performance.
Rich Orosco
Executive Vice President of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
Rich is a 20-year entertainment, consumer products, and sports marketing veteran who has conceptualized and executed award-winning product launch campaigns. As the Executive Vice President of Brand & Community at the Los Angeles Football Club, he oversees Grassroots Outreach, Digital, Content, Creative, Communications, Community Relations, Merchandise, Sponsorship Activation, and Events. He is the winner of the 2018 Major League Soccer Marketing Executive of the Year Award. Prior to LAFC, he co-founded American-made menswear brand Exley based in New Bedford, MA. From 2010-2012 he served as the Co-General Manager of the Los Angeles Matadors, in the World Series of Boxing and an Executive Producer of the „World Series of Boxing“ TV series on Fox Sports West. In 2008 he was the Vice President of Marketing at Warner Bros. Television where he oversaw the marketing launch of „TMZ on TV“ and „Two and a Half Men“. From 2000-2006, he was the Executive Director of Advertising and Promotion at CBS Paramount Television for the #1 Entertainment News Magazine, „Entertainment Tonight“, and the most successful syndication launch of 2004, „The Insider“. Rich is a co-founder of the LAFC Youth Leadership Program which mentors at-risk high school students through sport, serves on the board of the Bresee Foundation Youth Center in central Los Angeles, and is a guest lecturer at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Emerson College Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin.
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About Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC): Los Angeles Football Club is a sports company that offers major league soccer club.
Christian Lau
VP and Information Technology & Chief Technology Officer of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
As Vice President, Information Technology my focus is on defining the technical vision of the organization, developing the strategy around the use of technology throughout our operation, and managing the implementation of technology across the enterprise. • Software development • Client services and support • Governance and security • Business continuity • Budgeting and financial reporting • Cloud services implementation/migration • Project management • Multi-disiplinary team building • Business process and workflow refinement • Negotiation • Mergers and acquisitions Specialities: Business Intelligence, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Client Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Automation, Infrastructure, Large Scale Voice/Data Implementation, Premise Based Systems Migration to SaaS Platforms…
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About Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC): Los Angeles Football Club is a sports company that offers major league soccer club.
Tiffany Riley
VP Marketing of Kitman Labs
Tiffany Riley is the vice president of marketing at Kitman Labs.
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About Kitman Labs: Kitman Labs is a sports analytics platform that generates insights to help professional athletes perform better.
Tom Turner
Senior Vice President of Rogers Communications
Tom is the Senior Vice President, Medium Business and has been with the Rogers Group of Companies for over 20 years, holding various executive positions in Rogers Communications Inc., Rogers Cable and Rogers Wireless. In his time with Rogers, he has had the privilege of supporting Finance, and Marketing in addition to Sales. Prior to assuming his current role, Tom served as VP of Sales for Rogers Business Solutions, a division of Rogers Communications, that provided premium Internet, data networking, voice, data centre and cloud services to a wide range of enterprise, government and wholesale customers. Tom has held positions as VP Sales Planning & Operations, VP/GM High Speed Internet and VP Convergence, reporting directly to Ted Rogers. Tom’s significant contributions have been leading Rogers High Speed Internet business, launching Canada’s first Digital PCS and prepaid services and managing Rogers’ largest distribution channels and regions. Tom has a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law.
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About Rogers Communications: Rogers Communications is a communications and media company that specializes in telecommunications and internet.
Andrea Bailey
Vice President, Partnership Activation, Global Partnerships of AEG
Andrea Bailey is a vice president of partnership activation for the Global Partnerships division of AEG, the largest sports and entertainment company in the world. Acting as an internal agency for AEG, Global Partnerships oversees worldwide sponsorship sales and activation for over 135 world-class platforms across five continents and numerous other assets including venues, sports franchises, events, tours, festivals and digital content among other AEG holdings. In her role as a vice president, Bailey’s primary responsibilities include the management and maintenance of partnerships and activations for STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE, including L.A. LIVE’s events division. This incorporates assets such as Microsoft Theater, The Novo by Microsoft as well as world-class events such as All-Star Chef Classic, MADE LA, BET Experience, and Nike Basketball 3ON3 Tournament presented by 24 Hour Fitness, among others. Bailey is also an integral part of the account teams that work on some of AEG Global Partnerships’ hallmark agreements with partners such as Toyota, Delta Air Lines, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, New Era, Pernod Ricard, and adidas. In addition to leading a dedicated team across two of AEG’s most iconic assets, STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE, Bailey is responsible for $88 million in contractually obligated income across the many partnerships. In her fourteen years at AEG, Bailey has been a key part of many of the company’s marquee partnerships and relationship expansions, including the extension of the multi-year, multi-million Toyota partnership, a two-decade relationship that establishes Toyota as a Founding Partner across many of AEG’s top Los Angeles assets managed by Bailey. She was also an integral part in the activation of the LA Galaxy’s groundbreaking jersey partnership with Herbalife Nutrition. During this time, she helped cultivate Herbalife’s agreement into the single largest and longest sponsorship deal in MLS history at more than $46 million. Bailey’s leadership skills and business acumen also extend abroad where she has led international activations in China, Asia, Australia, Mexico and South America on behalf of Herbalife and the LA Galaxy. Bailey graduated from Hiram College where she received a B.A. in international economics and management and also played for the college’s basketball team. She lives in Pasadena, CA, with her husband and their two sons.
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About AEG, AEG: AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns,
Tom Andrus
SVP and GM of AXS.com of AEG
Tom Andrus served as SVP of Product at MySpace. Prior to that, he held executive Earthlink, and was a product manager at Symantec and Fitnesoft.
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About AEG, AXS: AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns,
Robert Thacker
Vice President, Strategy, Digital & Analytics of AEG
Robert Thacker is vice president of strategy, digital and analytics for the Global Partnerships division of AEG, the largest sports and entertainment group in the world. Within Global Partnerships, Thacker manages the team that oversees the development of multiplatform interactive sales programs and solutions for AEG’s global properties and partners in addition to driving digital and social innovation for the company as a whole. As a part of these initiatives, Thacker orchestrated the adoption of a customer relationship management platform that led to increased visibility and accountability for sponsorship and premium seating revenues and inventory as well as improved communication across AEG properties and internal departments. He also leads a team that designs digital, social and mobile campaigns for brand partnership agreements for Global Partnerships worldwide in addition to managing the group’s analyst and marketing design & communications divisions.
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About AEG: AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns,
Stuart Redsun
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer of Columbia Sportswear
Vice President/Brand & Marketing at Waste Management.
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About Columbia Sportswear, Waste Management: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Richelle Luther
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of Columbia Sportswear
Richelle T. Luther was appointed senior vice president & chief human resource officer in September 2015. She joined Columbia Sportswear Company in June 2008 as Deputy General Counsel. Prior to Columbia Sportswear Company, she served as corporate secretary and chief governance officer at Northwest Natural Gas (Nasdaq:NWN) from 2002 to 2008, and was an attorney at the Portland, Oregon law offices of Stoel Rives LLP from 1997 to 2002.
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About Columbia Sportswear, Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Jeffrey Tooze
Vice President, Global Customs and Trade of Columbia Sportswear
Jeffrey W. Tooze joined Columbia Sportswear Company in 2001 as the Import Operations Manager in the Corporate Logistics department. After creating the Global Customs and Trade department in 2006, he was promoted to Director and several years later named Senior Director. In 2016 he was named Vice President of Global Customs and Trade. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Tooze owned and operated a small international freight forwarding business and worked in a variety of management and consulting roles in trade compliance and logistics. He has been a licensed customs broker since 1988.
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About Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Erik Amos
Vice President, Tax & Treasury of Columbia Sportswear
Erik S. Amos joined Columbia Sportswear Company in November 1998 as the head of Columbia’s corporate tax division and has held various financial management positions of increasing responsibility during his tenure. In 2016 he was promoted to Vice President of Tax & Treasury overseeing Columbia’s Tax, Treasury, Credit and Risk functions. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Amos was with Deloitte & Touche LLP. He is a certified public accountant.
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About Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Russell Hopcus
Senior Vice President, Sales – North America of Columbia Sportswear
Russell B. Hopcus joined Columbia Sportswear Company in July 2013 as Senior Vice President of North America Sales. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Hopcus held various executive positions within the apparel and footwear industry. Mr. Hopcus was the Vice President for Global Sales and Market Development for KEEN Footwear from 2010 to 2013. From 2008 to 2010, he was the North America President for Icebreaker Nature Clothing. Mr. Hopcus joined Adidas USA in 2002 where he rose to Senior Vice President of US Sales. From 1991 to 2001 Mr. Hopcus held various sales management positions with NIKE, Inc.
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About Columbia Sportswear, Prana: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Peter Bragdon
Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary of Columbia Sportswear
Peter J. Bragdon joined Columbia Sportswear in 1999 as Senior Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property. He became Vice President and General Counsel, Secretary of Columbia in July 2004, was named Senior Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary in January 2010, and Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary in February 2015. Mr. Bragdon served as Chief of Staff in the Oregon Governor’s office from January 2003 through June 2004. From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Bragdon was an attorney in the corporate securities and finance group at Stoel Rives LLP. Mr. Bragdon served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice for seven months in 1996. Peter was appointed by the Governor of Oregon as a commissioner for the Port of Portland. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Portland Schools Foundation.
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About Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Douglas Morse
VP, Chief Business Development Officer and GM LAAP Distributors of Columbia Sportswear
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About Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear is a company that manufactures and distributes outerwear and sportswear.
Jeff Smith
VP of Sales of FC Cincinnati
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About FC Cincinnati: FC Cincinnati is a professional soccer club that plays in the United Soccer League.
Jan Baudewig
Vice President Operations & Technology of LeMans Corporation
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About LeMans Corporation: LeMans Corporation is a distributor of aftermarket sports parts and utilities.
Mark Scharenbroch
VP Finance of LeMans Corporation
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About LeMans Corporation: LeMans Corporation is a distributor of aftermarket sports parts and utilities.
Jeff Derge
VP Sales of LeMans Corporation
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About LeMans Corporation: LeMans Corporation is a distributor of aftermarket sports parts and utilities.
Danielle Fillimon
VP of Operations of Statespace
Danielle Fillimon is the VP of Operations at Statespace.
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About Statespace: Statespace provides performance analytics and a suite of tools for casual gamers and esports athletes to maximize their potential.
Julian Green
Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs of Chicago Cubs
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About Chicago Cubs: The Chicago Cubs are the National League Baseball Team for Chicago, IL.
Jenna Dobkin
VP, Influencer Relation of Raynforest
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About Dobkin Communications, Raynforest, Waters Agency: Raynforest provides solutions that enable brands to connect with influential people to promote their products, services or causes.
Bryan Ferguson
VP, Sales & Growth of Raynforest
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About AlphaSquad, Raynforest, Repstor: Raynforest provides solutions that enable brands to connect with influential people to promote their products, services or causes.
Frank Palase
Senior Vice President Strategy and Innovation of DIRECTV
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About DIRECTV: DIRECTV is an American digital entertainment services provider delivering sports, news, movies, family and local programming channels.
Matthew Goldstein
Vice President, Sports and Live Entertainment Partnerships of The Madison Square Garden Company
Matthew Goldstein is the Vice President, Sports and Live Entertainment Partnerships at The Madison Square Garden Company.
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About The Madison Square Garden Company: The Madison Square Garden Company is an American sports and entertainment holding company.
Zack Sugarman
SVP, Properties of Wasserman Media Group
Zack Sugarman currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Properties at Wasserman. Sugarman has ten years of Strategic Digital Marketing and Social Media experience creating award winning campaigns and initiatives for athletes, teams, leagues, properties, brands and technology companies alike while working at Wasserman. Sugarman runs lead on strategy, execution .
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About Wasserman Media Group, Wasserman Media Group: Wasserman media group provides marketing services to talent.
Shelley Pisarra
SVP, Research & Insights of Wasserman Media Group
Shelley Pisarra leads Wasserman’s Research & Insights team and is a 20+ year brand and innovation marketing veteran. Having built and led teams at PepsiCo, Nestle, Novartis and Unilever, she is a thought leader who specializes in developing behavioral-driven brand strategies that identify and fuel white space growth opportunities. As such, she has extensive expertise in harnessing data and consumer understanding to build new capabilities that advance business partnerships, create first-mover advantage, and exceed sales objectives.
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About Wasserman Media Group, Wasserman Media Group: Wasserman media group provides marketing services to talent.
Tom Windish
EVP, Head of Business Development and A&R of Wasserman Media Group
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About Wasserman Media Group: Wasserman media group provides marketing services to talent.
Curran Raclin
VP and Fan Engagement & Analytics of National Hockey League
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About National Hockey League: National Hockey League, L.P. operates as a hockey league for ice hockey teams in North America.
Chris Golier
VP – Mobile Marketing & Strategy of National Hockey League
Chris Golier is the NHL’s Vice President of Mobile Marketing & Strategy, responsible for driving the growth of the league’s mobile business and integration of mobile strategy throughout the organization. In his role, Chris leads the global mobile roadmap including overseeing NHL Mobile’s revenue growth and strategy. Within his first few years at the League, Chris helped to develop a robust mobile product portfolio which includes mobile applications, tablet applications, mobile web sites, SMS alerts, Bluetooth beacon deployments and tools to engage the fans. The NHL GameCenter™ application offer fans the ability to watch live games anywhere and has been developed for the widest range of smartphones and tablets including Apple & Android, gaming consoles and connected TVs. In addition, Golier is responsible for driving revenue growth and providing strategic direction for the league to maximize long term profitability. Chris leads digital business development across a wide range of opportunities including data and content syndication, digital content production partnerships, ad network and exchange partnerships, and the league’s fantasy and gaming platforms. Chris oversees key strategic relationships including distribution partnerships with Apple and Google, social platforms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and emerging platform providers including Gimbal and in-arena vendors. Chris is responsible for the creation of unique digital opportunities for league sponsors and advertisers and provides strategic analysis for NHL clubs on mobile and in-arena strategies. Prior to joining the League, Golier served in senior management roles at MobileBehavior, an Omnicom Group company, NBC and Conde Nast. In addition, Chris worked for multiple startups in the digital space where he was helping to pioneer app development, next-generation messaging and voice services, and location based services. Chris has spoken at many industry events including SXSW, Paid Content, Mobile Marketing Association events, ad:tech, DigiDay, Internet Retailer Web Design & Usability Conference, BusinessInsider, Mobile Marketer Summit, and Media Post’s Mobile Summit. Chris received his B.A. in Economics from UCLA and a MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
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About HYPE – Sports Innovation, National Hockey League: National Hockey League, L.P. operates as a hockey league for ice hockey teams in North America.
Brian Jennings
Executive VP Marketing of National Hockey League
Brian Jennings is Board Member at The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).
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About National Hockey League: National Hockey League, L.P. operates as a hockey league for ice hockey teams in North America.
Kerstin Brelie
VP, Human Resource of Turner Broadcasting
Kerstin von der Brelie is vice president of human resources for EMEA and Asia Pacific. She has oversight over the human resources strategy in the Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific regions and serves as a key strategic business partner and advisor to the Turner International executive team. As a senior member of Turner’s Global human resources function she partners with other functional human resources heads and regional teams and leads the implementation of human resources infrastructure and processes in the geographically dispersed group to support the global footprint.
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About OneFootball, Turner Broadcasting, Turner Broadcasting, WarnerMedia, WarnerMedia: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Craig Barry
Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of Turner Broadcasting
Craig Barry is Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer for Turner Sports. In this role, Barry oversees Turner Sports’ remote and studio productions, operations, technology and talent services for sports content airing on TNT, TBS and truTV including all productions in conjunction with the NBA, NCAA, MLB and PGA, along with all digital extensions. A 26-year Turner Sports veteran, Barry leads the creative direction of Turner Sports’ portfolio of sports properties, ensuring collaboration and integration of content and promotion across all platforms. Barry is also the executive responsible for the oversight of Turner Sports’ business interests surrounding ELEAGUE, the professional esports organization formed in partnership between Turner and WME | IMG. In this capacity, he leads every aspect of the linear and digital productions for ELEAGUE including working closely with Turner Studios in Atlanta to set the overall vision for the live competitive gaming experience. He also oversees brand image, multiplatform marketing initiatives, long-term business opportunities and the integration of ad sales and sponsorship efforts on behalf of the endeavor. Throughout his career, Barry has been associated with nearly every sports property in various roles. He has received numerous accolades including 25 Sports Emmy Awards and over 60 PromaxDBA awards. Barry is also credited with developing the Creative Services Sports Unit (CSSU) at Turner Sports, an internal creative agency that services the entire division and league partners. CSSU develops all creative broadcast packaging, graphic design, music, post-production, web design, multimedia content, promotion, creating marketing and sponsorships, and ad sales support for sports content across TBS, TNT, truTV, NBA Digital and NCAA.com. Barry, a native of Southern California, played collegiate tennis while attending Menlo College in Silicon Valley. He graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He currently resides in Atlanta.
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About Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Seth Ladetsky
Senior Vice President of Turner Digital Sports Ad Sales of Turner Broadcasting
Seth Ladetsky is senior vice president of Turner Digital Sports Ad Sales, managing sales efforts for Turner’s digital sports destinations, with a specific concentration on NBA, NCAA, Golf and NASCAR digital sales. He is based in New York and reports to Greg D’Alba, president of CNN Networks and Turner Digital Ad Sales. In this role, Seth is responsible for managing Turner’s relationships and sales with key partners across the NBA, NCAA, PGA and NASCAR. With oversight for national sales in Atlanta, Detroit and New York, Ladetsky is charged with leading a team that sells integrated marketing solutions for advertisers online, within video-on-demand and mobile products while also engineering innovative licensing, marketing and promotional partnerships with advertisers. In 2013, Ladetsky played an integral role in launching the first execution of Turner’s sales and content agreement with Twitter to promote real-time highlights from live events and continues to monetize mobile inventory through the partnership with activations around NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament and NBA Playoffs, to date. A Turner veteran of 17 years, Seth began his career at Turner in CNN Ad Sales. In 2001, he transferred to the digital side of the business as an account executive and then sales manager for the Turner Sports Digital division. He held ascending positions until he was promoted to senior vice president in 2011, managing national sales for the NCAA digital business, including live streaming of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament, March Madness Live. He had oversight of Turner’s digital sales teams based in New York responsible for selling all Turner Digital properties across sports, news and entertainment, including CNN.com, Funny Or Die, TBS.com, adultswim.com and others. Seth’s extensive digital background provides unique insight to the evolution of the digital landscape and marketplace over the years, and he is an expert in the space. Seth earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he pursued a double major in International Relations and Communications. A native of Valley Stream, N.Y, Ladetsky now calls Milburn, N.J. home with his wife and three children. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
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About Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Erik Resnick
SVP – Business Development and Commercial Strategy of Turner Broadcasting
Erik Resnick serves as SVP of business development and commercial strategy at Turner (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc).
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About Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Molly Battin
Executive Vice President, Global Chief Communications and Corporate Marketing Officer of Turner Broadcasting
Molly Battin is EVP & Global Chief Communications and Corporate Marketing Officer for Turner. She is responsible for brand reputation, internal & external communications, media planning & buying, and media relations & publicity.
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About Delta Air Lines, Turner Broadcasting, Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Rick Ridgeway
VP Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects of Patagonia
RICK RIDGEWAY, is Patagonia’s Vice President of Environmental Affairs where he oversees vanguard environmental and sustainability initiatives including Freedom to Roam, Common Threads and the Footprint Chronicles. He also co-founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. In addition to business, Rick is recognized as a mountaineer and adventurer, making the first American ascent of K2. He has produced and directed several documentary films, written dozens of magazine articles and six books. National Geographic recently honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award. Rick lives with his wife in Ojai, California, and they have three grown children.
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About Patagonia, Sustainable Apparel Coalition: Our values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted.
Cory Bayers
Vice President Global Marketing of Patagonia
As Vice President of Global Marketing at Patagonia, the activist outdoor clothing company based in Ventura, Calif., Cory Bayers oversees all creative, marketing, public relations and brand communications efforts for the company – leading a global team responsible for customer engagement across product categories and directing campaigns involving the company’s environmental activism, supply chain responsibility efforts and other corporate initiatives. Cory’s leadership has enabled Patagonia to increase its influence as an unconventional brand doing business to benefit people and the planet. Since joining Patagonia in early 2016, Cory has led the expansion of Patagonia’s award-winning film program, increased awareness of local environmental grants with the Black Friday 100% for the Planet campaign and helped maintain strong category growth in line with the company’s iconic mission: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Prior to joining Patagonia, Cory served as VP of Global Brand Creative for Lululemon Athletica and held Global Marketing roles for Helly Hansen ASA, based in Norway.
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About Patagonia: Our values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted.
Ashwin Desai
VP of Quality of Hudl
Ashwin Desai has over 25+ years experience in software quality and is an experienced leader focused on leading and improving teams to deliver high quality at speed. He has experience in the eCommerce(proflowers.com, Sterling Commerce, IBM) and healthcare (Blue Cross Blue Shield, Highmark Health Plan) verticals and has worked as an automation architect, a DevOps leader and also as an overall quality leader. Ashwin is currently working as a VP of Quality at Hudl. Hudl offers a cloud based, sports video solution to help coaches and teams win, and is used by a majority of the high schools, colleges and pro teams in the US and around the world. He is passionate about building and growing high performing teams to deliver quality at speed with a focus on improving Quality and Flow.
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About Hudl: Hudl is a software platform that provides video analysis and coaching tools for sports teams.
Adam Gouttierre
Vice President, Media of Hudl
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About Hudl: Hudl is a software platform that provides video analysis and coaching tools for sports teams.
Jon Dokulil
VP of Engineering of Hudl
Jon is the VP of Engineering at Hudl. He’s been with Hudl since the early days and has helped grow the company from one customer to over 50,000 today. Jon is passionate about the craft of building great software and is particularly interested in distributed systems, resilience, operations and scaling.
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About Hudl: Hudl is a software platform that provides video analysis and coaching tools for sports teams.
Zach Leonsis
Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & General Manager of Monumental Sports Network of Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Zach Leonsis is vice president and general manager of Monumental Sports Network, a first-of-its-kind regional sports network for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. Leonsis oversees all operations, including digital development and design, product fulfillment, brand marketing, content production and integrated partner solutions. Monumental Sports Network is co-owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment and NBC Sports Group. Leonsis led Monumental Sports Network from an ad-based blogging platform into an OTT network capable of processing new-age subscription bundles that include hundreds of live games across multiple leagues, original on-demand programming, exclusive merchandise and one-of-a-kind subscriber-only events and experiences.
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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment: Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies
Ben Clark
VP of Customer Retention of SeatGeek
Ben is the VP of Customer Acquisition at SeatGeek. Prior to joining the team, Ben was a business intelligence analyst for Buddy Media, which was acquired by salesforce.com. He also worked at Yelp and Clover.
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About SeatGeek: SeatGeek operates a mobile-focused ticket platform and search engine that lets fans buy and sell tickets for events.
Nihar Singhal
EVP, Business Development & Strategy of SeatGeek
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About SeatGeek: SeatGeek operates a mobile-focused ticket platform and search engine that lets fans buy and sell tickets for events.
Phil Horn
Senior Vice President, Sales & Service of Sacramento Kings
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About Sacramento Kings, Sacramento Kings: The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team National Basketball Association based in Sacramento, California, United States.
Anthony Tata
Vice President, Interscholastic Athletics of X2 Biosystems
Anthony J. Tata is the Member, Board of Visitors, Merchant Marine Academy at United States Merchant Marine Academy.
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About United States Merchant Marine Academy / U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), X2 Biosystems: X2’s wearable impact sensors, neurocongnitive assessment tools, and cloud-based data platform enhance concussion detection and management.
David Wagner
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy & Growth Platforms of VF
David Wagner is Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Growth Platforms at VF Corporation. He has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of strategy positions. In his current role, David is responsible for leading VF’s Strategy, Consumer Insights and Innovation functions. He and his team work closely with VF’s business unit leaders and Senior Leadership Team to activate new consumer and market insights, to articulate and drive progress against VF’s strategy, and to support VF brand revenue growth across multiple innovation platforms. Prior to this role, David served as Vice President, Corporate Strategy from 2017 to 2018 and as Vice President, Strategy and Integrated Planning from 2013 to 2017. From 2010 to 2014, he was Vice President of Strategy for VF International in the company’s Lugano, Switzerland office. In Europe, he established the strategy and insights functions for VF EMEA and supported the development of VF’s Asia strategy capability. David has been with the company since 2006 in a variety of strategy positions with increasing responsibilities. Prior to joining VF, David worked in private equity for Banc of America Capital Investors and as a consultant for McKinsey and Co. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with Highest Distinction, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Laura Meagher
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of VF
Laura Meagher is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at VF Corporation. She has been practicing corporate law for more than 20 years. Currently, Laura is responsible for VF’s Legal function, including compliance with securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, general corporate law and corporate governance, and intellectual property law and litigation. She joined VF in 2004 as Assistant General Counsel. Prior to being named to her current position in May 2012, she served as VF’s Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, where she provided expertise on securities laws, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters, as well as providing legal oversight for VF’s Outdoor and Action Sports and Contemporary Brands coalitions. Laura also served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Allen Telecom Inc. She began her career at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff in Cleveland, Ohio, where she served as an attorney specializing in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and commercial lending. Laura received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Laura was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1989 and the North Carolina Bar in 2005.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Lincoln Cheng
Vice President, Corporate FP&A of VF
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Martino Scabbia Guerrini
Executive Vice President and Group President of VF
Martino Scabbia Guerrini is Executive Vice President and Group President of VF Corporation, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA). He has nearly 30 years of experience in the lifestyle apparel and fashion industries. In his current role, he is responsible for all of VF’s businesses in the region including: The North Face® and Vans®, and for Timberland®, Napapijri®, Kipling®, Eastpak® and icebreaker® at a global level. His VF career began in 2006 when he joined the company as President of the Sportswear coalition in EMEA, overseeing the Napapijri, Kiplingand Nautica®brands. Over time he expanded the scope of his responsibilities, adding oversight of the Eastpak brand in 2008, 7 for All Mankind in 2009, and the Lee and Wrangler brands in 2013. He also was responsible for the VF’s Sportswear, Jeanswear and Contemporary brands in the EMEA region until April 2017 when he was appointed President, VF Corporation, EMEA. Prior to VF, Martino was Board Advisor at Opera SA Equity Fund, and for many years he held several executive-level roles at Tod’s Group and Stone Island. He began his career at Virgin Group. Committed to mentoring and teaching younger generations, for the last 10 years he has given lectures in the postgraduate programs at Domus Academy Milan (Fashion), Polytechnic University of Milan (Industrial Design) and Luiss University of Rome (Economics). Martino holds a master’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Velia Carboni
Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer of VF
Velia Carboni is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at VF Corporation. She has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles. Currently, Velia is responsible for the integration of world-class digital capabilities across all aspects of the company’s business, including VF, its brands and functions globally. In addition, she leads the company’s digital strategies to create meaningful connections and experiences for consumers and drive growth across all consumer touch points. Velia also oversees VF’s Analytics function. Velia joined VF in early 2018, following a 24-year career at Fidelity Investments where she held a series of leadership roles. Velia most recently served as Senior Vice President, Mobile and Emerging Platforms for the company’s Personal Investing/Retail Division, where she oversaw the strategy and development of mobile apps for smartphones, tablets, wearables and emerging platforms, among others, and helped lead the company’s Mobile First digital experience. With a keen focus on innovation, Velia helped identify and address new digital trends by creating scalable, customer-centric experiences and capabilities for new platforms. Previously Velia was Vice President, Mobile at Fidelity where she led all facets of mobile product development and expanded the company’s mobile program offerings, including building a mobile program for the company’s retail division. From 1993 to 2006, she also held positions in product management, finance and business analysis during her tenure with Fidelity. She began her career with Bull HN Information Systems, Inc., in 1992. Velia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Anita Graham
Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs of VF
Anita Graham is Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of VF Corporation. She joined VF in January 2014 and is responsible for leading all aspects of human resources across the corporation globally, including developing integrated programs to support the company’s strategy, business plans and objectives. Previously, Ms. Graham served as Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer at ADT Corporation, where she led the HR, EHS and Corporate Communications functions. Prior to that, Ms. Graham was Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer at Shire plc, an industry leader among worldwide specialty biopharmaceutical companies. Ms. Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a master’s degree in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Tom Glaser
Vice President, VF Corporation and President – Supply Chain of VF
Thomas (Tom) Glaser is Vice President, VF Corporation and President – Supply Chain. His responsibilities include the oversight of all of VF’s global manufacturing and sourcing operations. Glaser joined VF in 2001 as Managing Director, VF Asia Ltd Sourcing in Hong Kong, where he played a key role in further diversifying and expanding VF’s global sourcing network in support of the company’s growing portfolio of brands. In 2006, Glaser was named President, Supply Chain, Europe/Asia and relocated to Lugano, Switzerland. In 2010, he was promoted to Vice President, Global Operations, a role that he held until being appointed to his current position in January 2012.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Curt Holtz
Executive Vice President & Group President of VF
Curt Holtz is Executive Vice President and Group President, Workwear at VF Corporation. He has more than 30 years of apparel industry experience spanning finance, operations, manufacturing and sourcing, product development, and brand management. Currently, Curt leads all of VF’s Workwear brands worldwide, including: Bulwark®, Dickies®, Horace Small®, Kodiak®, Red Kap®, Terra®, Walls® and Workrite®, and the Work Authority business. Prior to his current role, Curt was Group President, Americas East, responsible for VF’s Jeanswear and Workwear brands residing primarily in the Eastern portion of the Americas Regional Platform. He also led the ongoing development and management of capabilities that enabled the success of all VF brands operating in the region. Prior to this appointment, Curt was President, Workwear, Jeans and Sportswear Brands, and previously served as President of VF’s Image Apparel business and its Licensed Sports Group (LSG) brands. VF divested its LSG business in early 2017. He joined VF in 1990 with the Lee brand. Curt then moved to VF’s Intimates business in 1993 where he held a series of leadership positions, eventually becoming President of VF’s Global Intimates business in 2005. He led the organization through a period of transformational change, including its 2007 divestiture by VF to Fruit of the Loom, a division of Berkshire Hathaway. Curt rejoined VF in 2010 and quickly moved on to serve as Chief Financial Officer of VF’s International business. Curt has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Craig Hodges
Executive Vice President of VF
Steve Murray is Executive Vice President, Strategic Projects at VF Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience in the apparel and footwear industry. In his current role, Steve partners with VF’s Senior Leadership Team and Brand Presidents to drive and deliver integrated strategic projects across brands, functions and the enterprise. Prior to his current role, Steve served as President of the Vans® brand following VF’s acquisition of the brand in 2004, during which time many of the Vans foundational strategies were established and annual revenue for the brand tripled to approximately $1 billion. In 2009, Steve was appointed President of VF’s Action Sports coalition, where he was responsible for overseeing the Vans , Reef and Pro-Tec brands . A British citizen, Steve left VF in 2010, moving back to his native UK, before re-joining the company in April 2018. He has held several leadership roles with iconic youth brands. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Airwair International (Dr. Martens) and was responsible for leading the company’s transformation from a manufacturing-led, family owned entity to a consumer-focused, private equity-backed, global retailer. He also served as Global Brand President, Urban Outfitters and EMEA President for Deckers Brands. Earlier in his career, Steve was the Global Head of Apparel for Reebok International. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Studies from Middlesex University.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Cameron Bailey
Executive Vice President of VF
Cameron Bailey is Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain at VF Corporation. He has more than 25 years of manufacturing and operations management experience. Currently, he is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of VF’s global supply chain, including manufacturing, sourcing and operations, as well as leadership of the 23,000 associates working across VF’s supply chain worldwide. Prior to his current role, Cameron served as VF’s Vice President, Supply Chain – Global Product Supply, with responsibility for the direct and indirect procurement of all materials and the manufacturing of all products for VF’s diverse portfolio of brands. Cameron began his VF career in 1989. Over the following 20 years, he held multiple manufacturing and operations management roles within VF’s Intimates Apparel business. He continued with the Intimates Apparel business through its divestiture by VF to Fruit of the Loom, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, holding a series of supply chain leadership roles with increasing responsibility, including serving as Senior Vice President of Product Development and Sourcing. Cameron returned to VF in 2016 and has since played a vital role in the company’s global supply chain organization. Cameron has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of West Florida.
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About VF: VF offers a diverse portfolio of iconic outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and work-wear brands.
Michael D’Auria
VP Business Development of Second Spectrum
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About Second Spectrum: Second Spectrum develops a gaming machine learning software to revolutionize sports through AI.
Steve Hondo Roberts
SVP Business Development of Sportrons
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About Sportrons: Sportrons is a sports marketing consulting agency that associate a brand to a Sports Team, Event, or Venue.
Keith Wright
Senior Vice President | Sports and Entertainment Los Angeles of Sportrons
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About Sportrons: Sportrons is a sports marketing consulting agency that associate a brand to a Sports Team, Event, or Venue.
