Starkey has deep Carolina roots -- she is a native of Edenton, N.C., and graduated from Clemsonackerman & gruber
The NFL Panthers are hiring T-Mobile VP/Marketing, Sponsorships & Events marketer MEREDITH STARKEY as the team’s first CMO. Starkey will start with the team at the end of March following a 10-year run in marketing at T-Mobile. At the Panthers, she’ll report to team president TOM GLICK, another recent hire, as the team refocuses under new owner DAVID TEPPER. “This was an opportunity to go someplace that offered organizational leadership, the opportunity to help build a new culture. And with new ownership, you could already see that there’s a big vision for the future,” she said. Starkey has deep Carolina roots -- she is a native of Edenton, North Carolina, and graduated from Clemson. “The bonus is that I get to return home, which is special. My first NFL game was the Panthers' first game in 1995, played at Clemson, so now I feel like its full circle,” she said. Starkey, who will officially carry the title of VP & CMO, described her new responsibilities as building the marketing capabilities of the team, in order to burnish the brand and develop deeper community ties. “One of the big early opportunities I see is igniting excitement around the Panthers brand in both Carolinas,” she said. The Panthers will be Starkey’s first property-side job since she worked for DC United after college. After that, she held marketing posts at Genesco Sports Enterprises and Motorola before joining T-Mobile in '09.
Starkey has been previously recognized by SBJ as a Power Player, Game Changer and Forty Under 40 honoree.
