Former IMG CEO Bob Kain Hired As Strategic Advisor To CAA Sports

By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Bob Kain Left Browns Organization On Monday

CAA has hired former IMG President & co-CEO BOB KAIN as strategic advisor to CAA Sports, three days after Kain announced he was leaving the Browns, where he served as Vice Chair and advisor to Browns and EPL club Aston Villa Owner RANDY LERNER. Kain in a telephone interview last night told SportsBusiness Journal his decision to join CAA came after months of discussions with CAA President RICHARD LOVETT, who befriended Kain and late IMG Founder MARK MCCORMACK more than a decade ago. "I have known Richard for years and we have talked about doing something together for years,” Kain said. CAA said in a statement that Kain will work closely with CAA Sports’ management team to create new business initiatives for the agency and its clients, both domestically and internationally. CAA hired MICHAEL LEVINE, HOWARD NUCHOW and DAVID RONE to lead its sports division in January '07. Kain said, “I am a strategic advisor: I am not anybody’s boss." He added that he is impressed with how CAA has grown its sports business since launching it in '06, by hiring former IMG football agent TOM CONDON and former IMG baseball agent CASEY CLOSE. Lovett in a statement said, “Bob’s strategic vision and business acumen have made him one of the most accomplished and well-respected executives in all of sports. He has been a pioneer in defining what a sports agency could be and in shaping a global model for the media and sports industries. We are thrilled to have him join us.”

RISING THROUGH THE RANKS: Kain worked at IMG for 30 years, first as a tennis agent serving clients that included PETE SAMPRAS, ANDRE AGASSI, BJORN BORG and CHRIS EVERT, before rising through the ranks to lead IMG’s North Americas division. He was named IMG President & co-CEO in '03 after McCormack’s death. Kain left IMG in '06 and worked for two years as an advisor to Lerner. Sources said that Kain was prohibited under the terms of his contract with IMG to work at a competing sports and entertainment firm, but that non-compete provision has expired. Nuchow said in a statement, “Bob’s deep relationships in the industry and his tremendous experience across so many areas will be incredible assets for us. We’re more than fortunate to have at hand all of Bob’s wisdom and expertise.”