SRJ Sports Investments, the new sports investment company formed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has appointed Danny Townsend as chief executive.

Townsend will be tasked with leading the company’s strategic direction, while taking on a key role in driving the organisation’s growth in the local and global sports investment sector.

“I welcome the opportunity to build on the strong foundations of SRJ, as we pursue exciting avenues to drive fan engagement, encourage greater sports participation and unlock game-changing opportunities in the region and beyond,” said Townsend.

“Saudi Arabia’s sports sector is growing at pace. I’m looking forward to being part of an ambitious team focused on creating new experiences that can be enjoyed at home and away, delivering value to all stakeholders.” 

Launched in August, SRJ aims to accelerate the growth of the sports sector in both Saudi Arabia and the MENA region. It is targeting the acquisition and creation of new sports events intellectual property (IP) and commercial rights of sports competitions. Hosting major global events in Saudi Arabia is also another goal.

SRJ made its first investment with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), acquiring a minority equity stake in the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in return for reportedly providing more than US$100 million in funding. SRJ will also be involved in launching PFL MENA, a regional league set to commence in 2024.

“We are delighted to welcome Danny as the CEO at SRJ Sports Investments,” said Bander Bin Mogren, chairman of SRJ. “His impressive achievements in the global sports industry position him as a strong leader.

“Danny will help drive SRJ’s ambitions to deliver long-term impact through strategic, sustainable investments. The board of directors are confident in Danny’s leadership and strategic vision for the organisation, and we look forward to achieving great success together.”

Townsend had most recently served as the chief executive of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). Having led the leagues following its separation from Football Australia, his achievements include finalising a broadcast rights deal with Paramount, while also expanding the leagues’ sponsorship portfolio and inking a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that embedded gender equity.

The APL has since confirmed that Nick Garcia, commissioner of the A-Leagues, and James Rushton, managing director of the APL’s digital arm KeepUp, will take on expanded leadership responsibilities as a result of Townsend’s departure.

Elsewhere, Richard Arnold is reportedly expected to depart as chief executive of Manchester United should Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe finalise his acquisition of a minority stake in the club.

According to The Athletic, Ratcliffe is keen to make changes to the club’s current structure, with Arnold understanding his departure is likely to occur as a result. However, no exact timeline has been set for his departure should a deal go through.

The outlet adds that Jean-Claude Blanc, who oversees Ineos’ sports portfolio, is being considered as an interim replacement for Arnold.

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Appointments

Lawrence Burian
Chief operating officer, LIV Golf
Previously: Executive vice president, corporate development, Madison Square Garden (MSG) Entertainment

Trudy Lindblade
Chief executive, Cricket Scotland
Previously: Chief executive, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships

Amy Scheer
Senior vice president of business operations, Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
Previously: Strategy, operations and gameday experience, club business development, National Football League (NFL)

Sarah Kate Noftsinger
Vice president and chief business officer, Atlanta United
Previously: Head of sports marketing (soccer), North America, Adidas

Corey Norkin
Chief partnership officer, Los Angeles Chargers
Previously: Senior vice president, global partnerships, Los Angeles Dodgers

Carlos Fernandez
Chief football competitions officer, Concacaf
Previously: Director of competitions, Concacaf

Rob Andrew
Managing director, professional cricket, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
Previously: Chief executive, Sussex Cricket

Leshia Hawkins
Managing director, recreational game, ECB
Previously: Chief executive, Cricket Wales

Ginny Ehrlich
Chief executive, United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation
Previously: Chief revenue officer, US Soccer Foundation

Josh Semless
Head of analytics and business intelligence, Greenfly
Previously: Head of partner solutions, global media partnerships, Meta

Neda Scrini
Chief people officer, Deltatre
Previously: Chief people officer, Orgvue

Corey Breton
Head of venues, Cosm
Previously: Chief revenue officer for global attractions, Legends

Thomas Plessis
Head of sales, Europe, Scoreplay
Previously: Strategic account director, sports and medias, Globecast

Devon Kim-Krivec
Head of product, Parity
Previously: Head of product, Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Revive Media

Marianne Schroer
Director of marketing, Parity
Previously: Director, growth marketing, Turntide Technologies

Kelly Cooke
Director of business development, CSM Sport & Entertainment
Previously: Head of sponsorship, United Rugby Championship (URC)

Vicky Stickland
Regional director, Asia, CSM Sport & Entertainment
Previously: Business director, CSM Sport & Entertainment

Jenna Nobles
Senior director, property sales, Octagon
Previously: Director, player marketing and events, Winners Alliance

Joanne Diamond
Partnership sales director, The Goodwood Group
Previously: New partnerships lead, Formula One

Steve Hitchen
Director of football, Unique Sports Group (USG)
Previously: Director of performance, Tottenham Hotspur

Jamie Reigle
Board director, Eclat Media Group

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Departures

Mike Whitehead
Senior vice president and chief financial officer, Tepper Sports & Entertainment

Carmine Tiso
Vice president, US communications, Sportfive

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