Neil Jones has officially joined AEG Presents as a senior ticketing manager after moving on from the Royal Opera House, where he had served as head of ticketing since 2018. Jones will work on ticketing for AEG Presents European Festivals such as British Summer Time, All Points East and Forward Festival.
SXSW Sydney is set to appoint Claire Collins as head of music ahead of the US festival’s expansion into Australia next year, according to Billboard. Collins will reportedly be responsible for the “vision, programming, and execution” of the SXSW Sydney music festival and music industry-focused content. Collins will work closely with Colin Daniels, the new SXSW Sydney managing director.
The Australian Football League (AFL) has appointed Nick Forward (pictured) as its new general manager for AFL Digital. Forward, a former chief content officer at streaming service Stan, will be part of the AFL’s customer and commercial department, which is led by executive general manager Kylie Rogers. Forward will be responsible for strategic management of AFL Digital and marketing channels.
Football Australia has extended the contract of chief executive James Johnson until the end of 2024. Johnson joined Football Australia in January 2020 on a three-year contract and his extension will cover this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which Australia will co-host with New Zealand.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the parent company of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and Capital One Arena, has appointed Charles Myers as its first-ever chief technology officer. Myers joins MSE from Sirius XM, where he served as vice-president of media and development engineering for several years.
NASCAR has announced that Julie Giese, the current president of Phoenix Raceway, will transition to the same role overseeing all operations for the first-ever Chicago Street Course. The race will take place on July 1-2 next year and will form part of the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Edinburgh International Festival announced the appointment of Sir Ewan Brown CBE as honorary vice president at the closing concert on August 28. The appointment was made in recognition of his support for the festival over several decades, including a decade on the board with seven years as deputy chair.