Forty Under 40

As the NBA continues to expand its global footprint, so too does the league’s increasing reliance on Sophie Goldschmidt to help drive its brand overseas. Goldschmidt was named senior vice president for the NBA in Europe and the Middle East in February 2010 and she now manages league offices in Istanbul, Turkey; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Paris; and London, where she is headquartered.

It is a job that geographically brings Goldschmidt full circle. She is a London native who attended Baylor University on a tennis scholarship.

“London to Waco [Texas] was a culture shock, but I loved it,” Goldschmidt said.

An injury derailed her tennis career, but Goldschmidt parlayed her love of sports into a job out of school with Adidas, followed by a stint as vice president of marketing and sponsorship with the WTA Tour. She then joined the NBA as vice president of marketing partnerships and business development in 2007 and began her quick rise through the league’s executive ranks.

“I had lived in the States for 10 years and became familiar with the NBA, and it was cutting edge from my perspective,” Goldschmidt said.

She was promoted to vice president and managing director for the NBA’s European and Middle Eastern offices in 2008. She was named to her current position in 2010.

In addition to the proliferation of television and licensing deals overseas, Goldschmidt helps lead the NBA’s international effort with a strong grassroots and digital strategy, not to mention an increase in the league’s brand with its first regular-season games held in London in March.

“She has spearheaded our first regular-season games in London, she has been intimately involved in our preseason games and she also oversees the games for USA Basketball,” said Heidi Ueberroth, president of NBA International. “Sophie is not only a talented leader with an intense drive, but she has a terrific way with people.”