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Game Changers

Game Changers: Lisa Murray

DAVID EMBERLING
Murray has made a career of big events, and she has
the credentials to prove it.
Lisa Murray
Octagon Worldwide
EVP, Chief Marketing Officer

After 22 years developing and activating marketing programs for Octagon clients, Lisa Murray isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Yes, she’s still planning programs for large clients, like MasterCard and Allstate, and at big events, like the FIFA World Cup and the Sugar Bowl. But you can also find her in the parking lot at those monster events, holding a sign that guides clients on and off the buses and through mazes of hospitality.

Murray once wanted to be Ralph Nader, “until I found out,” she said, “you had to be a lawyer.’’ The legal profession’s loss has been marketing’s gain. “I’m a classic agency person,’’ Murray said, “focused on passion and results, and I’m very hands-on.’’

Clients and co-workers laud her devotion. “Lisa has taught that dedication to our entire organization, and it’s one of the main reasons we have so many long-standing clients,’’ said Jeff Shifrin, president, Octagon Marketing North America. “Everything we do on the client side has Lisa’s fingerprints on it.’’

— Terry Lefton
  • First job: Working in the advertising department at Gimbels in New York City.
  • Crowning professional achievement: I’ve measured my life against the World Cups I have worked on. That’s up to seven now, and each one has been more of a “Wow.”
  • What is the best advice you've ever received: Learn to be a critical listener. The source escapes me (probably because I hadn’t mastered the technique yet) but the concept stuck. In an age of fleeting, 140-character messages, critical listening is, well, critical to survival — much less success.
  • Woman in sports business you'd most like to meet: Brazil’s first woman president, Dilma Rousseff, to discuss her views on the opportunities and prospects for dynamic economic and social change as a result of Brazil hosting both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
  • The biggest challenge I face working in the sports business is …: It is a 24/7 business, especially since we are a global agency.
  • One attribute I look for when hiring is …: People that are proactive.
  • If I had to do it all over again, I would …: Be fluent in another language and much more proficient in golf. Both are vital skills in this business.
  • Ten years from now I hope to be …: An alum of SBJ’s 60 Under 60.

WHAT OTHERSARE SAYING

“A client’s dream come true. Lisa is a hard worker, very strategic, but not afraid to do whatever it takes. She can see angles no one else does.”

  • Mava Heffler, vice president, marketing and communications, Emcor Group; former sponsorship chief at MasterCard

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS
PODCASTS

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: May 8, 2024

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Austin Karp: The NFL sets a date for its 2024 schedule release, while also dropping hints that it could soon approve private equity investment in teams; WNBA teams finally land charter flights; the F1 Miami Grand Prix delivers a record on TV; and Elevate lands in Happy Valley.

Phoenix Mercury/NBC’s Cindy Brunson, NBA Media Deal, Network Upfronts

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp chats with SBJ NBA writer Tom Friend about the pending NBA media Deal. Cindy Brunson of NBC and Phoenix Mercury is our Big Get this week. The sports broadcasting pioneer talks the upcoming WNBA season. Later in the show, SBJ media writer Mollie Cahillane gets us set for the upcoming network upfronts.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.
SBJ TV

Sports Media Podcast April 24 Whos Up Whos Down

4 mins

Sports Media Podcast April 17 2024 The Big Get Molly Solomon

5 mins

Sports Media Podcast March 27 2024

29 mins

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