LIV Golf confirms host of new signings ahead of next event
No Rory McIlroy, but LIV Golf reveals a number of new additions for 2024.
LIV Golf has today confirmed a host of new executive hires ahead of their next tournament in Adelaide, Australia, as the breakaway league shows no sign of relenting in their head-to-head battle with the PGA Tour in 2024.
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The Saudi-bankrolled league revealed on 17 April the following executive hires in events, finance, HR and team business operations:
- David Phillipps named Chief Financial Officer
- Ross Hallett named EVP, Head of Events
- Katie O’Reilly named EVP, Head of Team Business Operations
- Tim Taylor appointed to a new EVP role and will also lead LIV Golf’s London office
- Pam Sacree named Head of Human Resources
All of the above executive positions will be based in either LIV Golf's New York or London offices, and they will commence work over the coming weeks.
Phillipps joins LIV Golf from the Equinox Group, where he was Chief Financial Officer of the global collective of luxury lifestyle brands including Equinox, Equinox Hotels, Soul Cycle and Blink Fitness.
Prior to Equinox, he served as the SVP of Finance at Endeavor, the global entertainment and sports company, which includes the talent agency William Morris (WME), IMG and the UFC.
Phillipps also worked for Starwood Hotels where he served as the CFO of both the Americas and Europe, Africa, and Middle East divisions as well as various corporate roles across FP&A and Investor Relations.
He held strategy and corporate finance roles with L.E.K. Consulting and Deloitte earlier in his career.
Phillipps will report to CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman and will be responsible for the management of all financial planning and analysis, budgeting, accounting, tax, financial reporting, procurement, and related functions across the global business.
Hallett brings to LIV extensive leadership experience across the golf ecosystem.
He most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of Golf Events EMEA for IMG, and during more than 26 years in the industry has managed golf tournaments for each of the main golf tours and in every major territory around the world.
Hallett managed a team of executives across event operations, marketing and communications, strategy, business development, partnership management and creative, while also coordinating a wider team responsible for broadcast, digital operations, course setup, legal, finance, ticketing and hospitality, and merchandise.
He will report to Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Burian and will be responsible for leading world-class and innovative event delivery for all LIV Golf and International Series tournaments across the globe, including the development of events in new and emerging markets and further enhancement of LIV Golf’s five-star guest experience.
The season standings thru 5 events 🤝@joaconiemann and @Crushers_GC still leading 👀#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/o7vcmhDulX
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) April 16, 2024
O’Reilly will lead LIV Golf’s Team Business Operations after serving as Chief Revenue Officer for the Philadelphia 76ers, where she oversaw all team-controlled revenue across multiple verticals including ticket sales and service, corporate partnership sales and partnership marketing, broadcast, merchandise and more.
She previously served as the team’s Chief Marketing Officer overseeing all creative, digital content, fan development and brand efforts, leading the organization to global recognition in both a “Team of the Year” CLIO Award and “Cult Brand” distinction by The Gathering.
Prior to the Philadelphia 76ers, O’Reilly served as the Director of Partnership Marketing for Insignia Sports & Entertainment and as National Program Director for IMG College in New York City. She also previously held positions with the National Basketball Association’s renowned Team Marketing & Business Operations group and at Madison Square Garden.
O’Reilly will report to Burian and will be responsible for building and managing all aspects of team business efforts to drive effective operations and management, brand development and commercialization while serving as the liaison between Team Management, Team Boards, and other core league-wide functions. O’Reilly is a 2024 recipient of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 annual recognition.
Taylor takes on new responsibilities after managing LIV Golf’s global financial operations for more than two years.
The industry veteran has held leadership roles in international finance and information technology throughout his career and will help lead the continued growth of the league’s global business.
Sacree joins LIV Golf with a diverse background in human resources, strategic organizational development, and driving people-centric initiatives for high-profile international companies.
She has held human resources leadership roles with global and large U.S.-based organizations such as Madison Square Garden, Cablevision Systems Corporation and AIG.
Most recently, she served as Chief People Officer with First Agency and then Blue Stream Fiber, where she partnered with executive teams and leaders to assess the impact of the people function and identify strategies and projects that strengthen business priorities, organizational culture, and employee needs while enhancing business scale and growth.
Sacree reports to Burian and is responsible for leading strategic people and engagement initiatives that reflect business priorities. She will play a key role driving the League’s talent management and organizational transformation while fostering a culture of collaboration, growth and innovation across offices in New York, West Palm Beach and London.
LIV Golf CEO Norman said of the circuit's latest business appointments:
"LIV Golf is building a global organization with a team of talented professionals whose excellence is rivaled only by our players on the course.
"We’re proud to continue building on our tremendous success so far with the addition of top-flight executives across our business divisions.
"Our players, our team franchises and our growing staff are laser-focused on the league’s long-term future, supporting the game, attracting more fans to the sport that we love, and establishing a truly international golf league.”
Norman's comments come several days after he attended The Masters where 13 LIV Golf players competed in the first major of the year.
It was a mixed week for LIV Golf players at The Masters as all 13 players combined for an 82-over par total.
Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were the bright sparks of the week for LIV though as they finished in a tie for sixth.
Tyrrell Hatton surged late to pick up a top-10 finish, too.
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