On Wednesday LIV Golf Investments, the new golf entity backed by the Public Investment Fund which operates on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia, announced Monica Fee as its Senior Vice President, Global Head of Partnerships and Lily Kenny as Head of Strategy.
“I am very pleased to welcome Monica and Lily to LIV Golf Investments to help lead our company’s ambitious plans to expand our global corporate presence and grow the game of golf around the world,” said Sean Bratches, Chief Commercial Officer of LIV Golf Investments. “This is an exciting time for all of us as we grow our team, and the appointments of Monica and Lily is the latest show of force of how we are strengthening the commercial arm of the business.”
Fee, a former Property Sales Agent at CAA Sports, will work to identify key partners “to grow the sport of golf across the world.”
“I look forward to bringing my creativity and sponsorship expertise to the LIV Golf Investments team, helping to grow the game and link leading brands to a new global sports property,” said Fee. “It is an honor to join Sean’s team and be part of something truly groundbreaking in the world of sport.”
“The game of golf has immense potential for growth, and I am eager to leverage my expertise and tap into the game’s true potential,” said Kenny, who previously worked with Amazon.
Opinion: Let ‘grow the game’ die of shame at the Saudi International
No players have committed to play for the new venture, largely criticized as a way for the Saudi government to “sportswash” its controversial human rights record. According to LIV Golf, the PIF is its majority shareholder and is, “one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio.” The fund’s chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of Saudi Arabia’s king.
Despite the lack of player support at this time, LIV Golf Investments is putting together a C-suite of industry executives with deep experience.
Will Staeger, who has worked with sports brands like ESPN and WWE, is the group’s new Chief Media Officer. Former PGA Tour rules official Slugger White joined as Vice President of Rules & Competition Management. Bratches, also a former ESPN executive, was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer. Ron Cross, who spent 30 years between the PGA Tour and Augusta National, is the Chief Events Officer. Atul Khosla, who most recently served as the chief corporate development and brand officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was hired last week as LIV Golf’s Chief Operating Officer.
The new golf venture has previously announced its intention to begin competition in the spring of 2022.
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