We round up the latest movements from the ticketing sector and associated industries…
AXS has appointed Australian sports business leader Andrew Travis to head its expansion in Australasia.
Travis, formerly chief operating officer of Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP) and CEO of Gold Coast Suns, has been named AXS’s chief executive officer of AXS Australia and New Zealand.
The group said Travis is tasked with “shaking up the ticketing market” in the region and introducing AXS and its technology to local venues, promoters, artists, and fans.
Travis, who will be based at the group’s Melbourne office, said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at AXS and to have been given the opportunity to lead this exciting expansion into the Australia and NZ market. I look forward to super-serving venues to optimise their ticketing operations and drive improved customer outcomes and satisfaction.”
“We are thrilled to have Andrew lead AXS’ entry into the vibrant Australian and New Zealand live event market,” said Los Angeles-based AXS chief executive Bryan Perez. “His extensive experience as an industry leader in sports and entertainment venues gives him a keen insight into their goals and ambitions and the challenges they’ve had realising them. He is the right person to help AXS address those challenges in a new and innovative way to the benefit of fans, artists and team throughout the region.”
Live Nation has appointed long-term advisor Dan Wall as executive vice-president for corporate and regulatory affairs.
Wall has been associated with Live Nation for more than 12 years, previously providing guidance as lead outside counsel while a partner at Latham & Watkins, the global law firm which he retired from recently.
“Live Nation has been a special client to me, so about three years ago I floated the idea of this continuing relationship,” said Wall. “I am grateful to Michael [Rapino] and Joe [Berchtold] for allowing me to continue our work together and I am excited by the challenge.”
UTA, the global talent, entertainment, sports and marketing company, has appointed Main Street Advisors chief executive Paul Wachter as its new chairman and also added Nexus Management Group founder Ceci Kurzman to its board of directors.
Wachter is the founder and chief executive of Main Street Advisors, which has more than $8bn in assets under management across sports, media, music and entertainment. Kurzman is the founder of Nexus Management, which began as an artist management company and evolved into a platform for private investments in the consumer, media and technology sectors.
UTA said the naming of Wachter and Kurzman as independent directors comes amid a period of growth and diversification, which has included M&A activity and the forging of a strategic partnership with global private equity firm EQT.
Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and CEO of UTA, said: “The addition of Paul and Ceci, with their web of expertise in entertainment and technology, finance and corporate governance, is another powerful signal about the trajectory of our company and the work we are doing on behalf of our clients.”
Tessitura has appointed three senior North American arts figures to its board, including Ming Min Hui, chief financial officer at Boston Ballet.
The other new board members are Barbara Polk, chief administrative officer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Jamie Bosket, president and chief executive of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
The nonprofit, which serves arts and cultural organisations, said the three board members represent important constituencies of its users: performing arts and admission-based organisations, with a variety of annual budget sizes.
“We are thrilled to welcome Barbara, Ming, and Jamie,” said president and chief executive Andrew Recinos. “Each of them brings a different perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing our sector, and I know their voices will strengthen our board and organisation.”
Sports industry veteran Marc Reeves has joined entertainment discovery platform Fever to run strategic partnerships.
Reeves joins Fever following his latest role as head of brand for football at Nike, where he led consumer and marketplace efforts across the company’s football business, which included the National Football League.
A Fever spokesperson said: “Joining forces with Reeves, a long-time sports veteran, Fever, a leader in the live-entertainment industry, continues diversifying its leadership roster to explore potential partnerships with key industry players, empowering them to grow their business ventures through data and technology.”
Vicky Featherstone has announced she will step down from her position as artistic director at London’s Royal Court Theatre later this year.
Featherstone has held the position since 2013 and will depart when a replacement has taken up the post. Recruitment for the post will begin in late February.
Anthony Burton, chair of the board of trustees at the theatre, said: “Vicky has been a tireless leader of the Royal Court for 10 years, brilliantly navigating turbulent times not least keeping the Court afloat for two years during Covid. We are hugely grateful to Vicky for her invaluable and profound contribution to the work, welfare, and financial stability of the Court.”
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@theticketingbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.