Industry Moves

Bundesliga International has made a trio of executive hires and promotions across Asia-Pacific and India, as it looks to further build the league's exposure on the ground with media rights deals already locked in across much of the region for the long term.

MLS has named Radhika Duggal as chief marketing officer of both the league and its Soccer United Marketing (SUM) commercial arm, as it continues its global marketing push ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in North America.

The merging of Endeavor’s OpenBet and IMG Arena has led to a high-profile casualty as Max Wright, who has been with IMG for 11 years, negotiating various betting rights deals with sports bodies, leaves the company.

Commercial rights executive Russell James has set up a new consultancy after recently vacating the sales and marketing director position at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)

David Abrutyn, a 30-year sports industry veteran, is joining the sports division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to bolster its ice hockey business.

US sports agency Excel Sports Management has hired UK sports marketer Sean McAuliffe as Excel’s first European-based executive dedicated to its property sales business.

Jan Lehmann, a former German Football League (DFL) and Infront agency executive, has been appointed as the first chief executive of the European Olympic Committees (EOC)

Formula 1 has bolstered its commercial team with the hiring of Joel Seymour-Hyde, who joins as head of partnership management, having departed his role as managing director, UK at Octagon in December last year. 

Paramount Global, which is in exclusive merger talks with Skydance Media, has announced the immediate exit of president and CEO Bob Bakish, to be replaced by three executives in a new leadership team amid a period of ongoing financial uncertainty.

FC Porto has elected a new president for the first time in more than 40 years as one of Portugal's Big Three clubs prepares to play a crucial role in the commercial overhaul of the Primeira Liga this decade.

Sports media rights executive Stew Walker has been recruited by Commercial Sports Media (CSM) as a consultant to work in the UK market

Pascal Fratellia, the European Broadcasting Union’s director of Olympics and head of football rights for close to 15 years, is leaving the free-to-air broadcasting consortium.

The Professional Fighters League has hired World Wrestling Entertainment executive Emilio Revelo to a senior role overseeing the global distribution of its Bellator brand as well as developing the growth of the company's Hispanic audience.

Blast, the international esports tournament organiser, has appointed former England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) commercial executive James Brown as its new commercial director

Alasdair Bell is to leave his position as deputy secretary general of Fifa after playing a crucial role at the world governing body for the past six years as a key aide to president Gianni Infantino

Riot Games has promoted David Mulhall to a global role overseeing its entire esports sponsorship portfolio in recognition of his work building the commercial strategy for the Valorant Esports property.