Boardroom Media (CEO News)
At CEO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Columbia based CEO’ operating in the Sports space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected]
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Jim Bankoff
Chairman & CEO of Vox Media
Jim Bankoff is the Chairman and CEO of Vox Media, the pioneering media company known for building modern media properties and the platforms that enable them. Vox Media’s editorial networks and businesses include SB Nation, Eater, The Verge, Vox, Curbed, Recode & Code Conferences, Polygon, Vox Creative, Concert, Chorus, Vox Entertainment, and the Vox Media Podcast Network. A veteran of the digital industry, he also developed and led dozens of the most notable digital brands including AOL, Mapquest, Moviefone, AOL Music and Engadget as an EVP at AOL. Bankoff co-founded TMZ.com, won an Emmy award for his production of the Live8 Concerts, and oversaw AOL’s industry-leading applications including AIM, ICQ, and Netscape. Bankoff has been named to Adweek’s Power List; The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media; The Washingtonian’s Tech Titans; Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100; and The Guardian’s 100 Most Powerful People in Media.
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About The Verge, Vox Media: Vox Media is an operator of an online media publishing agency created to influence editorial properties and premium advertising.
Ted Leonsis
Founder, Chairman, Majority Owner, Chief Executive Officer of Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Ted Leonsis is Cofounder and partner of Revolution Growth as well as a nationally renowned entrepreneur, investor, and sports team owner. Ted is founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Washington Mystics, AFL’s 2018 Champion Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade, the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA2K League’s Wizards District Gaming. Leonsis is a co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid. The company also owns Monumental Sports Network, a first-of-its-kind regional sports network for digital, mobile and over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Leonsis serves on the board of governors for the NBA and NHL as well as on the executive committee of the NHL. He previously was chairman of the NBA media committee. During his almost 14-year career at AOL, Leonsis served as president of America Online Services Company, president of AOL Studios, president of AOL Web Properties, vice chairman and president of AOL Core Services, vice chairman and president of AOL Audience Business and vice chairman emeritus. The company recorded its greatest levels of innovation and growth under his leadership, and in May 2010 AOL named a central office tower The Leonsis Creative Center in his honor. He retired from active management of AOL in 2006. Leonsis founded SnagFilms, the internet’s leading site for online audiences to find, watch, and share documentary films. Ted also has been a producer of award-winning documentary films such as Kicking It, Nanking, and A Fighting Chance. Nanking premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and has won an Emmy Award. Early in his career, Leonsis was the founder of several technology-enabled consumer companies, including Redgate Communications, where Leonsis is credited with having coined the phrase “new media”. Leonsis has been named Washington’s Businessman of the Year, Washingtonian of the Year, one of the 20 most influential people in sports, and one of the top 10 entrepreneurs of the year. Leonsis tweets daily from @TedLeonsis. He sits on the board of directors of several leading companies ranging from American Express to Groupon.
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About aXiomatic, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Revolution, Revolution Growth, ViewLift: Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies
Jason Xu
Co-Founder & CEO of Battlefy
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About Battlefy: Battlefy is the simplest way to find and manage esports competitions.
Joe Brennan Jr.
CEO & Founder of SportAD
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About SportAD: SportAD is an innovative creator of new, simplified games for B2B daily fantasy sports and real-money sports gaming.
Austin Walper
CEO & Co-Founder of PLAYR.gg
Entrepreneur, CEO, Strategist, Content Creator
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About PLAYR.gg, The Human Startup: PLAYR.gg was a technology platform that enables enterprise brands to generate, segment, and activate first-party customer data.
Marcello Leone
CEO & President of RYU Apparel
Marcello Leone is highly regarded as a visionary in the fashion industry. Recognized as one of North America’s leading retailers operating one of the Canada’s largest and most successful independent specialty stores for over 16 years, Mr. Leone’s entrepreneurial achievements are a result of his strong leadership, strategic vision and ability to raise capital. In 2012 he founded Naturo Group Investments Inc., which owns Trace Blackwater, a rapidly growing private beverage company with distribution in over 2,000 locations. Mr. Leone has been an RYU investor since 2011.
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About BevCanna Enterprises, RYU Apparel: RYU Apparel specializes in developing men’s and women’s performance apparel for the athletic minded consumer.
Gary Boddington
Co-Founder & CEO of Sports Technology Group
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About Sports Technology Group: STG offers professional blockchain services and an athlete management application enabled by blockchain technology.
Rick Allen
Founder & CEO of ViewLift
Rick Allen has run successful companies in nearly every form of media, and helped to develop or extend some of the country’s most prestigious brands. Rick is the CEO of SnagFilms which he helped to found with Ted Leonsis. The two produced Kicking It, which screened at Sundance, Tribeca and other film festivals and was aired globally by ESPN; for the film and their work on homelessness, Leonsis, Allen and colleagues received the 2009 Stewart B. McKinney Award from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. The two are producing a new documentary, A Fighting Chance, which will be released in the fall of 2010. Allen previously was President and CEO of Sporting News, the country’s oldest sports media company, leading a revitalization that saw it named twice to Adweek’s annual “Hot List†as a top-10 media property. Earlier, he served as President and CEO of the for-profit arm of the National Geographic Society, responsible for television and film; interactive products, websites and e-commerce; maps; travel; retail; catalog; and consumer products. Under his leadership, the National Geographic Channel was launched and became one of the fastest growing cable channels in recent history. Before coming to National Geographic, Rick was a senior executive at Discovery Communications, parent of the Discovery Channel, where he extended the company’s brand into filmed entertainment, education, technology and retail. He also served in the White House as a Deputy Assistant to President Clinton, helping to establish AmeriCorps (the domestic Peace Corps). Before his White House service, Allen was CEO of a privately-held group of 35 companies based in Los Angeles. He has written and lectured widely, and been active in civic affairs particularly dealing with education, including service with the advisory boards to the California State Board of Education and the Southern California Association of Governments, and as Vice Chairman of Project Exploration, a nonprofit science organization that makes science accessible to the public – especially minority youth and girls – through personalized experiences with scientists and science. He is a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council, serving on its Enrollment and Admissions Committee, and as an elected member of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee. Rick lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife and three sons.
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About ViewLift: An End to End Solution For Content Distribution and Monetization
Courtney Spaeth
Founder & CEO of growth[period]
Courtney Banks Spaeth is one of the nation’s foremost experts in business development and corporate growth. She has widespread experience in both the public and private sectors, having worked in the White House, the Department of Defense, and as an executive in Fortune 100 corporations. She holds a Masters Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and a BA, with honors, in Military History from the University of Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007, growth. helps companies achieve growth through business development, and provides transaction advisory services to private equity firms. Clients include Lockheed Martin, Verizon, Genesys, Zebra, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, HIG Capital, SAB Capital, and many other Fortune 500, middle market, and private equity firms in the US and internationally. Spaeth appears regularly in national and trade media including Business Week, CBS News, the Washington Business Journal, Smart CEO magazine, and Women of Influence Magazine. She has been a guest lecturer at York University – Schulich School of Business, Mt. Holyoke College, Sam Houston State University, and George Mason University, as well as on Wall Street and in executive boardrooms. With extensive experience in emerging technologies, Spaeth serves on the Board of Directors of Momentum Aviation Group (MAG), and the Board of Advisors for AtmosAir. She also serves on various Boards of Directors: the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Economic Club of Washington, the 2024 Olympic Washington Due Diligence Committee, the ASIS Council, and in various capacities with many other organizations.
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About growth[period]: growth[period] supports clients to expand their company growth in the global market with a primary focus on aerospace and defense industry.
Jake Maas
Interim President & CEO of WinView Games
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About Graham Holdings, WinView Games: WinView Games is a game of skill that is free and legal to play in the US.
Diane Hoskins
Co-CEO/Executive Director of Gensler
Diane Hoskins, FAIA, is one of two Gensler Co-CEOs. As an MIT-trained architect and an MBA from the Andersen School at UCLA, Diane’s career has spanned architecture, design, real estate, and business. She has broad responsibility in running the firm, which spans over 5,000+ employees networked across 44 offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She is also Chair of Gensler’s Board of Directors. Diane founded Gensler’s industry leading Research Institute to spark new innovations, elevate human experience, transform communities and create a better world through the power of design. Among the Research Institute’s most recent and groundbreaking IP, Gensler’s Experience Index stands out as a first-of-its kind study proving that design is the key to creating successful retail experiences that improve sales, enhance shopping experiences, build consumer loyalty and engage employees. Diane is a member of a diverse range of outside organizations and initiatives including the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities & Urbanization, and the CEO Initiative by Fortune and Time. Diane was named one of the Business Insider’s 100 Creators list alongside Co-CEO Andy Cohen in 2016. Diane is a sought after media spokesperson and frequent speaker. She has shared her expertise and research with top media outlets, including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Financial Times, Bloomberg TV, and many global architecture and design trade publications. She has spoken at many premier conferences, including the Bloomberg Business/CEO Summit and the Economist Human Potential Conference.
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About Gensler: Gensler is a collaborative design firm that has capabilities in design and architecture across 31 practices.
Harrison Brown
Co-Founder & CEO of HeadCheck Health
Harrison Brown is a Co-Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer & Board Member at HeadCheck Health. He is the inventor, manager, and industry expert for the company. Harrison is a PhD candidate and Masters of Science graduate at UBC, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph, and has broad scientific research experience in sports-related concussion identification and management.
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About HeadCheck Health: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) concussion testing & compliance monitoring solution that works for any sports organization or clinic.
Darcy E. Krogh
President & CEO of Global Daily Fantasy Sports
Darcy Krogh serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Global Daily Fantasy Sports.
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About Global Daily Fantasy Sports: GDFSI is a multi-tenanted gateway that allows operators to offer their customers a Daily Fantasy Sports product.
Jon Romm
CEO / Founder of Venuetize
Jon serves as Chief Executive Officer of Venuetize and brings 25+ years of experience in the satellite, sports, media & entertainment, and telecom industries.
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About Venuetize: Venuetize is the leading technology and connected payments platform for smart venues.
Jean Christophe Le
CEO of FNTZ, LLC
Chris is currently a program manager for a non-profit organization in Washington DC. As a hobby, he enjoys fantasy sports and is in direct correspondence with the USPTO in securing a new fantasy game patent.
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About FNTZ, LLC: To build a community of sports fans that can instantly share and improve upon their passion for sports analysis in fantasy games.
Kimberly Moore
CEO and Co-Founder of Go Together, Inc.
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About CarpooltoSchool, Go Together, Inc.: Go Together is delivering new, innovative and scalable SaaS transportations options for parents through their trusted networks.
Dustin Sproat
Co-founder & CEO of Shnarped
Founder at Shnarped
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About Asana, Shnarped: Shnarped builds sports media applications for athletes and fans to connect and create simple video highlights.
Timothy Shriver
Chairman & CEO of 2015 Special Olympics World Games
Tim Shriver was appointed a director of WPP in August 2007. He is a social leader, educator, activist, film producer and business entrepreneur.As Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, he serves nearly four million Special Olympic athletes in 180 countries all working to promote health, education, and unity through the joy of sports. Before joining Special Olympics in 1995, he was (and remains) a leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning.He co-founded and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the leading research organisation in the field of social and emotional learning. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.He chairs the board of Lovin’ Scoopful a cause-related consumer products brand specializing in ice cream that ‘loves you as much as you love it’.
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About 2015 Special Olympics World Games, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, Unite: Through sport, Special Olympics is building communities of acceptance and inclusion for all people.
Shaun McCarthy
CEO of The ICSS
ICSS Enterprise is led by its Executive Director Dr Shaun McCarthy. He has over 35 years’ experience in the security and intelligence sectors of government, as well as in economic diversity and development, including senior roles as Director for Special Operations for Kroll and Vice President of Monitor Group.
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About The ICSS: ICSS is an independent and non-profit organisation and at the forefront of efforts to safeguard sport.
Shaun McCarthy
CEO of The ICSS
ICSS Enterprise is led by its Executive Director Dr Shaun McCarthy. He has over 35 years’ experience in the security and intelligence sectors of government, as well as in economic diversity and development, including senior roles as Director for Special Operations for Kroll and Vice President of Monitor Group.
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About The ICSS: ICSS is an independent and non-profit organisation and at the forefront of efforts to safeguard sport.
Ben Hwang
Co-Founder and CEO of Vamo Tech Inc.
Ben is a student entrepreneur in his final semester at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Vamo Tech Inc., a sports technology company that builds smart training aids for hockey players. At SFU Beedie’s 2016 Opportunity Fest, Vamo Tech won first place in the category of Most Technologically Innovative Opportunity, where Ben also won Mr. Opportunity as the most engaging male presenter. Recently, Ben competed in the final round of the Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition in Toronto and reached the final three in the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) Regional Competition in Vancouver. He is currently completing his BBA, with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
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About Vamo Tech Inc.: Technology for specialized sports training
