Sports Business Daily: Executive Transactions

The Maple Leafs are bringing in Hockey HOFer and former team captain MATS SUNDIN as a “senior executive adviser in hockey operations,” while former Coyotes GM JOHN CHAYKA will take over as the team’s GM (TORONTO STAR, 5/3).

The Big 12 Conference promoted NICK BOWES to chief operating officer; KAURI BLACK to vice president of broadcast and emerging platforms; ANDY LOUTHAIN to vice president of compliance and governance; KATIE RISTOW to vice president of brand and marketing; KEENA LYNCH to assistant vice president of con...

Attorney ALEX NGUYEN, recently certified as an NFLPA agent in October, has joined Clermont, Fla.-based NIL and NFL agency McRae Sports Group as an agent and director of legal affairs. In addition to his new role, he continues to run Chavez & Nguyen, P.C., the Dallas firm he co-founded in 2015 wi...

Puma named MARK LANGER CFO. Langer was previously CFO at beauty retailer Douglas. Prior to that, he spent over 17 years at Hugo Boss serving as CEO from 2016 to 2020 and as CFO from 2010 to 2017. He will succeed MARKUS NEUBRAND on May 1. Neubrand will leave the company on Sept. 30 (Puma).

Sportradar named SAMEER DEEN COO, effective May 18. He will report directly to CEO CARSTEN KOERL. Most recently, Deen served as Chief Commercial Officer & President at Entain. Previously, Deen served as Chief Digital Officer and SVP/Digital at Univision Communications (Sportradar).

The FAST channel ReachTV has named RACHEL JACOBSON as its next CEO. Jacobson was previously Drone Racing League President. She will report to BEN BERENTSON, CEO of Owned Media at Stagwell, which owns ReachTV. Jacobson also spent 21 years at the NBA and was an SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree in 2010. As p...

The FAST channel Reach TV has named Rachel Jacobson as its next CEO. Jacobson, who was previously Drone Racing League President, will look to scale the 10-year-old travel media network’s commercial footprint and grow content partnerships. She will report to Ben Berentson, CEO of Owned Media at Stagw...

Former NHLer ALEXANDER STEEN will become Blues GM on July 1, with current GM DOUG ARMSTRONG transitioning to become the team’s president of hockey operations through 2029 following a previously announced transition plan (Blues).

The Univ. of Oklahoma named JARED BOYD as the women’s basketball program’s first GM. Boyd spent the 2025-26 season as GM at Texas Tech (THE OKLAHOMAN, 4/23).

WTA CEO PORTIA ARCHER is stepping down from her role. The resignation is effective April 20 and in line with the end of Archer’s contract. Archer, an SBJ Game Changer in 2018, joined the WTA in mid-2024, succeeding the now-retired WTA Chair STEVE SIMON after he split the organization’s once-dual Cha...

Northeast Conference Commissioner NOREEN MORRIS will be stepping down from her role after 16 years to become the exec dir of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards, effective Sept. 1 (NEC).

Chiefs EVP/Communications DAVID HIGDON announced on social media Monday that he will be leaving the franchise at the end of the month. Higdon did not mention where he would be working next but mentioned that he is actively pursuing his next career opportunity (SBJ).

Victory Live named KATE HOWARD CRO, reporting to CEO SAM SONI. Howard, a 2022 SBJ Game Changers honoree, most recently served as CCO at Eventellect. Prior to that, she was a VP at the NFL, spent nearly a decade at StubHub and held a strategy and business development role at Viasat (Victory Live).

The University of Toledo named BRIAN LUTZ interim athletic director.

Sphere Entertainment Co. elevated DAVID DIBBLE to Vice Chair/Sphere. Dibble most recently served as Special Advisor to the Exec Chair and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, which followed his role as CEO of MSG Ventures (Sphere Entertainment Co.).

The PGA of America named PHIL ANDERSON COO. Anderson joins the association after serving as GM & COO at Hazeltine National Golf Club since 2022. He will begin the position on Monday and be based in Frisco, Texas. He will report to CEO TERRY CLARK (PGA of America).

The NFL named BRIAN FLINN SVP/Global Flag Football. In the newly created role, Flinn will lead the NFL’s global flag football strategy. He will be based in N.Y. Most recently, Flinn served as COO of the Pro Padel League. Previously, he was Partner and COO of Isos Capital Management, Chief Marketing ...

The Galaxy have hired JESSICA JACOBI from ski resort and lifestyle brand Aspen One to serve as their new CMO. Jacobi’s CMO role replaces the Chief Brand & Creative Officer position previously held by WILL MISSELBROOK, who left the organization earlier this year to join Platinum Equity. She will ...

Nike Chief Innovation Officer TONY BIGNELL is “leaving” the company to “pursue his own creative and philanthropic interests.” Bignell was elevated to the position last June. He will be succeeded by Nike VP & Creative Director for Sportswear ANDY CAINE, effective Sunday. Caine will report to EVP ...

FloSports has promoted COO JAYAR DONLAN to President, effective immediately. Donlan, a 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree, will report directly to FloSports CEO & co-founder MARK FLOREANI. Donlan will lead commercial, content and operations organizations and have oversight of the FloSports GMs acro...