Executive Transactions

Shoemaker Will Relocate From Beijing To WTA HQs In St. Petersburg

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour today announced that COO and General Counsel DAVID SHOEMAKER as President. Shoemaker succeeds STACEY ALLASTER, who was appointed Chair & CEO last month. In his new role, Shoemaker will be responsible for the overall day-to-day operations and business affairs of the Tour; tournament and player relations; strategic expansion of the sport in key growth markets; int’l TV and digital media rights distribution; and the Tour’s year-end Championships (Sony Ericsson WTA Tour). Shoemaker will continue his duties as "head of the WTA Asia-Pacific region" and COO & General Counsel, though he "expects to drop those positions by the end of the year." He will relocate from Beijing to the WTA HQs in St. Petersburg, Florida, by the end of this year (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/17 issue).

TURNING DOWN THE DIAL: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Tripp Mickle reports Procter & Gamble Dir of Global Sports Marketing JASON DIAL is leaving the company after 18 years "in hopes of joining a sports property or agency." Dial: "After 18 years with P&G, I'm excited to take on new challenges." P&G said that Dial's replacement will be announced at a later date (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/17 issue).

HOME & GARDEN: In N.Y., Larry Brooks reported former NHLer MARK MESSIER is rejoining the Rangers as Special Assistant to GM GLEN SATHER. Messier is "not the heir apparent" to Sather, but rather is "assuming the same type of apprentice position" as Red Wings VP STEVE YZERMAN and Bruins VP CAM NEELY, among other former players. Messier said, "I think I have a pretty good eye for talent, but really, there are so many things about the management and business side of the game that I've never been exposed to. So I'm going to soak it all in" (N.Y. POST, 8/16). The AP's Ira Podell wrote this "could be the first step in replacing Sather when his tenure with the Rangers ends" (AP, 8/16).

EXECS: The AHL Rochester Americans and NLL Rochester Knighthawks have hired former Showcase Sports Marketing COO KERRY ATKINSON as Senior VP/Sales & Marketing (Americans)....FS Detroit has hired Chicago's WMAQ-NBC Dir of Sports Sales JOE GERZEMA as National Sales Manager (FS Detroit)....Arizona Wildcats Sports Network Exec Producer BRENT SEEBOHM resigned Thursday, "less than one week" before the network airs its first show. Seebohm also served as the Univ. of Arizona's (UA) Associate AD and IMG College GM & VP. Former UA Associate AD SCOTT MACKENZIE, who said the resignation was a "surprise," will inherit some of Seebohm's duties (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 8/15)....Houston businessman HAROON SHAIKH has resigned from his post on the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority BOD "amid questions about his ownership of several adult video stores" (CHRON.com, 8/15).

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