This Week’s Movers in Sports Media & Marketing

This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, Fani Sazaklidou joins DAZN as Global VP of Product Design, Gap Kim becomes Twitter’s Head of Global Business Marketing, and Justin Connolly is promoted to serve as Disney’s new President of Media Distribution.

For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.

DAZN Names Global VP of Product Design
The live and on-demand sports streaming service has hired Fani Sazaklidou as their Global VP of Product Design. In her new role, Sazaklidou is set to lead a global team of product designers, service designers, copywriters, UX researchers, and creative technologists to renovate the way people are enjoying sports. Prior to joining DAZN, Sazalidou spearheaded a multitude of customer experiences for major industry names such as Sony PlayStation, BBC and YouView.

XFL Brings On Series of New Hires
As the XFL is quickly approaching the league’s relaunch next year, its front office teams continue to fill out across the country. At the XFL HQ, NFL vet Russ Giglio is joining the staff as Director of Player Administration where he will oversee player personnel policies and procedures. Lisa Milner Goldberg is joining the XFL LA office as the Head of Communications after 11 years at Swanson Communications, a PR agency with a focus on boxing, individual athletes and live events. Jim Baral is also joining the LA office as Senior Director of Partnerships after consulting for the LA Chargers for the past year and a half.

In the XFL Tampa Bay office, Allen Barrett will work as Head of Communications after 11 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he most recently served as Senior Communications Manager. In the XFL Houston office, Charles Hampton has been named Head of Communications where he returns to Houston after spending eight years with the Houston Texans prior to heading the athletic communications team at Grand Canyon University the past four years.

Concacaf Hires Director of Communications
Nicholas Noble is joining Concacaf as the league’s Director of Communications. In his new role, Noble will oversee areas including football and corporate communications, media relations and services, public relations, and editorial content where he will focus on developing, implementing and managing the overall communications strategy of the confederation. Prior to joining Concacaf, Noble served as Head of News and Corporate Communications with the Premier League for 12 years.

Utah Jazz Communications Staffer Jumps to the Minnesota Basketball Scene
Corrie Hemry announced on Twitter that her run with the Utah Jazz has come to an end, and she’s starting a new role as the Basketball Communications Coordinator for both the Minnesota Timberwolves the Minnesota Lynx. Prior to landing her role with the Jazz, Hemry also served on communications staffs of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Disney Taps ESPN Vet as President of Media Distribution
Justin Connolly has been promoted from within the Walt Disney Company to serve as their new President of Media Distribution. In his new role, Connolly will continue overseeing all aspects of his most recent role of SVP of Programming including North American distribution, affiliate marketing, and affiliate-related business operations for all services provided by Disney and ESPN Media Networks. Connolly has been with ESPN for the last 12 years and has been with the Walt Disney Company since 1998.

Longtime Industry Vet Joins The Athletic
The Athletic has acquired Evan Parker, formerly of NASCAR, as the subscription-based media outlet’s new General Manager. In his new role, Parker indicated via Twitter that he will be building programs and partnerships to introduce more people across the globe to the media platform and its content. Parker joins The Athletic after working 8 years with NASCAR—his most recent role being Vice President of Content.

Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Former Ohio Machine President
Ryan Chenault has been named the Columbus Blue Jackets’ new Vice President of Marketing. Chenault comes from the recently folded Ohio Machine professional lacrosse team where he served as the team’s president. Prior to working with the Machine, Chenault worked with Northwestern University’s Athletic Department as Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing.

Twitter Hires New Head of Global Business Marketing
Twitter has acquired former WhatsApp platform lead Gap Kim as the company’s new Head of Global Business Marketing. In this role, Kim will be in charge of leading the team responsible for the marketing and messaging that allows for businesses to understand the social network’s ad solutions. He will succeed Christine Cuoco, who is set to lead Twitter’s newly formed Global Brand and Content Marketing team. Kim comes to Twitter after not only leading major efforts with WhatsApp, but also holding major experience working with both Facebook and Google platforms.

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