This Week’s Movers in Sports Media & Marketing

This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, Derek Throneburg joins the XFL, Snap Inc. brings on Kenny Mitchell to serve as CMO, and LA 2028 fills out its executive staff.

For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.

XFL Taps Pacers VP of Customer Insight and Engagement
After spending seven years with the Indiana Pacers organization, Derek Throneburg announced on LinkedIn that he is leaving the basketball world for the highly anticipated football league of the XFL. In his new role, Throneburg will serve as SVP of Team Business Operations where he will work with the eight team presidents to help build the team brands, develop and execute sales strategies, and deliver live experiences that align with the XFL’s innovative vision.

Snap Inc. Hires Company’s First CMO
Former McDonald’s marketing executive Kenny Mitchell is being brought on by Snap Inc. to serve as the company’s first-ever CMO in efforts of rebuilding the company’s senior executive team. In his new role, Mitchell is set to lead and oversee all consumer and product marketing programs at Snap, an area the company has struggled over for the past year. In addition to his most recent role as McDonald’s VP of Marketing, Mitchell also has worked in the marketing departments of Gatorade, NASCAR, and Tropicana.

Exec Roster Filled Out for LA 2028
The Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympics Games for the 2028 event has recently filled out its executive staff. Amongst the new hires include the committee’s CBO Brian Lafemina and CMO Amy Gleeson. Lafemina is an industry veteran with over twenty years of experience with Madison Square Garden and just under a decade with the NFL. In addition to working for six years as Madison Square Garden’s Director of Marketing from 1998-2004, Gleeson also led International Olympic Committee sponsored Visa global integrated campaigns during the ’10, ’12 and ’14 Games.

Twitter Expands on Sports Partnerships Team
Will Exline, Partner Manager of Sports Partnerships at Twitter, took to Twitter to announce two new additions to the Twitter Sports team: Shelby Clayton and Kelsey Taylor. Prior to initially joining Twitter in 2017 as a Client Account Manager in CPG Partnerships, Clayton worked at ESPN for two years in a variety of tech and sales roles. Coming from outside of Twitter, Taylor is joining the company after two years with the NFL as the league’s Manager of Media Strategy and Business Development.

Hornets EVP & COO Jumping to New York Giants
Charlotte Hornets executive Pete Guelli has been tapped by the New York Giants to serve as the NFL team’s new CCO. In the new role, Guelli says he will handle similar duties to those in his most recent role as the Hornets’ COO. Guelli has worked with the Hornets since 2009, after previously working with the Buffalo Bills as SVP of Business Ventures for over a decade.

Snap Inc. Promotes Within Sports Partnerships
Anmol Malhotra has been promoted for a second time within Snap Inc. to serve as the company’s Head of Sports Partnerships. In his most recent role with Snap Inc., Malhotra worked as Manager of Sports Partnerships from early 2018 to just last month. Prior to making the jump into sports business with Snap Inc. in 2015, Malhotra worked for Black Rock, an investment management company.

Former Twitter Exec to Head IOC Digital Partnerships
Aneesh Madani has announced that he is joining the International Olympic Council in the role of Head of Digital Partnerships. Previously, Madani most recently worked as Twitter’s Head of Sports Partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. Madani began his five-year stint with Twitter in 2013 as Head of Sports Partnerships for India.

Breeders’ Cup Brings On Veteran Marketing Exec
Christopher McNamara has been tapped by the Breeders’ Cup to serve as SVP of Corporate Partnerships. In his new role, McNamara is set to oversee business development and sponsorship sales for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Prior to joining the Breeders’ Cup, McNamara worked as the Director of Accounting Services with Cornett, a marketing and advertising company.

Nintendo of America Announces New SVP of Marketing
Nick Chavez has been promoted within Nintendo of America to fill the position of SVP of Marketing. Chavez previously served as VP of Marketing with the company after holding a variety of other roles upon initially joining the company in 2010. Prior to joining Nintendo, Chavez worked just under a decade with Yahoo! Inc. where his last position held was VP of Brand Marketing.

Octagon Names VP of New Business
Susie Piotrkowski has been named VP of New Business for Octagon. In her new role, Piotrkowski will lead new business outreach for Octagon’s U.S. Marketing and Event business. Prior to joining Octagon, Piotrkowski worked with a variety of companies including the National Women’s Soccer League, Spartan Race, and NBC Sports.

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