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Wade Davis New CEO at an Univision with New Owners, Nick Kelly, Carlos Cordoba, Gonzalo Alonso…

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Wade Davis new CEO at an Univision with new owners, Nick Kelly, Carlos Cordoba, Gonzalo Alonso, Alianza de Futbol acquired….  Companies get bought and sold, people change positions, get promoted or move to other companies. Portada is here to tell you about it.

Wade Davis new CEO at Univision…

Wade DavisWade Davis, media industry veteran and CEO and founder of investment firm ForgeLight,  assumed the role of Univision CEO. Prior in his career Davis was CEO of Viacom.  Davis is replacing Vince Sandusky as CEO. Led by Davis and benefitting from his expertise in managing the growth and transformation of large-scale media enterprises, Univision’s new leadership team plans to use the company’s platform and strong pipeline of entertainment, sports and news content to deepen its relationship with the Hispanic community. Over the past years Univision’s financials have been hit by high debt levels as well as revenue declines due to structural changes including cord cutting by consumers and a relative decrease in size of the Spanish-dominant population in the U.S.
Univision had been considering an initial public stock offering for many years, then dropped plans in March of this year. In the third quarter o 2020, Univision’s revenue declined 8% to US $627.6 million (from US $681.4 million). Income from continuing operations was cut by 60% to US $30.9 million (from US $77.4 million). Univision’s media networks’ advertising revenue sank 11% to US $287.6 million (compared to US $322.4 million) in the same period last year.

Univision’s New Ownership Structure …

Global private investment firm Searchlight and operating investment company Forgelight and Grupo Televisa announced the completion of Searchlight and ForgeLight’s acquisition of a majority ownership interest in Univision. As a result of the transaction Searchlight and ForgeLight purchased an approximately 64 percent ownership interest in Univision from an investor group including Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, TPG, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Saban Capital Group. Televisa has retained its approximate 36 percent stake in Univision’s fully diluted equity capital. .

Nick Kelly, President at Charlotte FC

Nick KellyNick Kelly has been named club president at Charlotte FC. Kelly, who will oversee Charlotte’s day-to-day business operations, joins after six years with Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). He was most recently their vice president of partnerships, beer culture and community, overseeing company partnerships in the sports, music and entertainment fields. “Soccer has arrived in Charlotte, and we have an incredible opportunity to build an organization and a culture of fandom that rivals the top teams in MLS,” Kelly said in a statement. “When I met David Tepper and Tom Glick, I was attracted to the exciting vision they had for what Tepper Sports & Entertainment can be for the Carolinas and I look forward to helping realize that vision with Charlotte FC.” Kelly has a soccer marketing background, since AB InBev has sponsorship agreements with over a dozen MLS clubs and has partnered with international tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, International Champions Cup and Copa America. Under Kelly in 2019, Budweiser became an official partner of the National Women’s Soccer League. “Nick has a track record of connecting brands with fans across all sports and will bring fresh ideas to Charlotte FC,” owner David Tepper said in a team release. “In the past year, we have assembled a strong sporting staff, led by Zoran Krneta, and have continued to build our business staff. Nick’s hiring comes at the perfect time as we turn our attention to preparing for an exciting first season in 2022.”

Carlos Cordoba, Gonzalo Alonso….

Entravision Cisneros - InteractiveAfter the acquisition of a majority stake in Cisneros Interactive by Entravision (read our updated analysis here), both Entravision and Cisneros Interactive announced changes in their leadership teams. Gonzalo Alonso has been promoted to SVP Digital Audio at Entravision Communications. His prior position was Founder and Managing Director at AudioEngage, an Entravision Company. Cisneros Interactive will continue to be led by Victor Kong, CEO.  Kong will be reporting to the board of Cisneros Interactive which will be comprised by executives of Entravision and Cisneros. Carlos Cordoba will assume the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Head of Audio Advertising. Victoria Morales will be acting as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Juan Pablo Florentín  as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). German Herebia, co-founder of Cisneros Interactive, will be leaving Cisneros Interactive to take up new professional challenges.

For Soccer Ventures Acquires Alianza de Futbol

For Soccer VenturesFor Soccer Ventures (FSV),  the investment fund backed by MLS team Philadelphia Union co-owner Richie Graham announced it has completed the acquisition of Hispanic soccer companies Alianza de Futbol and JUGOtv.  Both companies were previously owned by Relevent Sports. FSV is focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer. Founded in 2004 by Richard Copeland and Brad Rothenberg,  Alianza de Futbol has represented opportunities in soccer programs for male and female soccer players outside of the traditional club system in the U.S. Since the program’s launch, players have come from 46 states and more than one thousand U.S. cities, connecting over 3.2 million Hispanic families to the Alianza de Futbol community. JUGOtv has operated as the content studio and social media arm of Alianza de Futbol.  “We’re beyond excited to join the FSV team,” said Joaquin Escoto, Managing Director of Alianza de Futbol. “The future of soccer in America is so bright, and we’re thrilled to be joining FSV on their mission to ensure all communities are part of that future. FSV are the perfect partners to help amplify our impact in bringing the Hispanic community closer to the most important organizations in American soccer.” New initiatives that expand upon Alianza de Futbol, both on-and-off the field, will be announced by FSV in the forthcoming months.

 

New Hires at DISQO

DISQOConsumer insights platform DISQO announced the expansion of its marketing team with the following new hires:

  • Anne Hunter, VP of Product Marketing — Hunter brings a wealth of experience from her roles as EVP of Strategy & Growth at Kantar; SVP of Advertising Effectiveness at comScore; and Head of Insights at AOL.

  • David Grabert, VP of Brand & Communications — Grabert was formerly Global Head of Marketing & Communications for GroupM, WPP’s world-leading media investment group; and prior held senior roles with Clear Channel Outdoor, Canoe Ventures and Cox Communications.

  • Karin Odell, Head of Demand Generation — Odell built her career in demand generation at B2B SaaS companies in Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach (L.A.), including roles at EZ Texting, Velocify and FirstRain.

 

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