The NWSL added three new senior level execs to its league office staff, which has now doubled in size to about 40 employees since Commissioner Jessica Berman took over in April. The hirings include Celine Perrot-Johnson as CFO, Carlin Hudson as Dir of Strategy and Maureen Raisch as Creative Dir. The NWSL used James & Co. for the CFO search and no search firm for the other two roles.
Perrot-Johnson joins the NWSL from Buzzfeed, where she served as EVP, Finance Transformation Officer and Treasurer following the company’s acquisition of Complex Networks, where she had served as CFO and Treasurer. She previously served as a CFO consultant at Disney Streaming Services, where she advised on developing an initial budget for the company’s direct-to-consumer video business, including ESPN+, Disney+ and BAMTECH Media. She spent the bulk of her career at Viacom, where she served in a variety of roles pertaining to corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and analysis over 18 years.
Hudson, a former NWSL player, previously worked as a senior associate consultant at Bain and Co., where she served as a strategy extern for U.S. Soccer. In that capacity, she utilized nationwide studies of youth soccer participation to help develop a long-term approach to expanding access to the sport in historically underrepresented player groups. She also helped develop action plans to improve player development and safety in youth soccer.
Raisch comes to the NWSL from the NFL, where she served as a senior designer for the league’s brand experience team. She designed the primary logo for Super Bowl LVI and created the cinematic concept for the event identity in L.A. She previously worked as a designer at both Fanbrandz and Frederick and Froberg Design, where she designed event and team identities for MLB and the NHL. At the NWSL, Raisch will oversee the league’s brand vision across digital platforms, events and merchandise.
The latest round of executive hires comes on the heels of the league’s 10th season, during which the league experienced an upshot in business momentum while reckoning with the fallout from allegations of sexual assault and abuse of players by now-former coaches. The league is currently in the advanced stages of working with Inner Circle Sports to add two expansion franchises, which will bring the league to 14 teams by 2024.
