LIV Golf Investments, the Saudi-backed company behind the Asian Tour’s new International Series, and the as-yet-to-be announced Super Golf League, has expanded its management team with the appointment of more than half-a-dozen new recruits, all of whom are American.
Following the appointment of Greg Norman as chief executive in October last year, LIV Golf Investments, which is backed by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund, has unveiled a string of high profile additions to its management team.
The latest round of hires, which were announced earlier this week, include Emily Hamel as senior vice president of Global Event Experiences and Jeremy Krug as senior vice president of Experience Design to the expanding events team.
Hamel, who joins LIV Golf Investments after 13 years as vice president of Events and Experiences with the New York Yankees, said: “LIV Golf is pushing boundaries and reshaping the golf experience through its vision. I look forward to the opportunity to deepen engagement with existing fans, as well as explore ways to recruit new ones into the sport. I am excited to work with the entire team to create impactful experiences on an international stage.”
Krug joins LIV Golf Investments after 18 years with Populous – a world-renowned sports architectural design firm. Highly regarded in live event operations, facility programming, and master planning design, Krug will be responsible for development of the design for all LIV Golf fan experiences, including hospitality and entertainment, as well as food and beverage.
“This will be an incredible new opportunity for both event delivery and fan experience, the likes of which have not been seen before in professional golf,” Krug said. “I am excited to join the star-studded team that Ron [Cross] has assembled as we work to bring innovation at all levels to create an inspiring new brand sport.”
Last November saw Sean Bratches, F1’s former managing director of commercial operations, appointed as Chief Commercial Officer, while Ron Cross, who spent 30 years between the PGA Tour and Augusta National, took the role of Chief Events Officer. Atul Khosla, who most recently served as the chief corporate development and brand officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was hired as LIV Golf’s Chief Operating Officer.
November also saw the appointment of Will Staeger, who previously worked with ESPN and WWE, as the group’s Chief Media Officer, and Jane MacNeille, the former head of communications at the Greg Norman Company, as Vice President of Communications. Also joining at that time was former PGA Tour rules official Slugger White, who is LIV Golf’s Vice President of Rules & Competition Management.
“With the addition of Emily and Jeremy, we are building one of the most impressive event teams I have been privileged to work across in my career,” said COO Ron Cross. “Our team is eager about the opportunity to bring new excitement to the game and grow the fanbase by creating unbelievable event experiences on a global scale.”
Also joining the company’s leadership team are Brett Adams and David Benne (VP, Event Delivery), Emma Piper (VP, Guest Services), Laura Zidar (VP, Tournament Administration), and Gabe Clark (VP, Workflow Management). Further appointments are expected to be announced shortly.