AS Roma
Italian top-flight soccer club AS Roma have appointed Lina Souloukou as their new chief executive, after dismissing Pietro Berardi from the same position earlier this week.
Souloukou previously served as chief executive of Greek soccer giants Olympiacos for four years until leaving the role last June. She is also currently a member of the European Club Association’s (ECA) executive board, having been appointed in 2019.
“Lina is an experienced, respected and trusted leader in both football and business and we are delighted to welcome her into the AS Roma family”, said Dan and Ryan Friedkin, Roma’s co-owners.
“We will work closely with her to continue building the club to the highest level, deserving of both the Giallorossi fans and the city.”
Souloukou added: “I would like to express my gratitude to the Friedkin family for giving me this opportunity: I have had the chance to appreciate and understand the spirit and ambition that inspire the ownership and I am honoured to have the possibility of sharing in the challenges that await AS Roma.”
She will begin in her new role immediately, with the Serie A club swiftly hiring her following the sacking of Berardi. The team said they had ‘terminated all relations’ with Berardi ‘with immediate effect’. His dismissal comes just days after Italian prosecutors seized documents at Roma as part of a probe into potential financial irregularities found in transfer deals. Reuters has reported that his dismissal had ‘no connection’ with the investigation.
Meanwhile, Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) has hired David Stevenson as its new chief executive. Stevenson most recently was working as the general manager of operations at the Australian Football League (AFL), while also previously serving in key roles at AFL club Western Bulldogs and sports apparel giant Nike.
In other news, the German branch of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has unveiled a new management team. The trio of Simona Schapiro, Jannis Klausch and Christian Schuck will lead the agency’s operations in the country across various industries, reporting directly to Steve Martin, the agency’s global chief executive.
Appointments
Samita Mannapperuma
Chief financial officer, NBC Sports
Juan de Jesus
Chief strategy officer, Next League
Previously: Vice president, sports partnerships, Dapper Labs
Wayne Brant
Chief business officer, Colorado Rapids
Previously: Senior vice president of business operations, Colorado Rapids
Jeff Dunn
Chief strategy officer, Seattle Seahawks
Gina Martinez Todd
Senior director of partnership development, Seattle Seahawks
Previously: Director of sales and corporate partnerships, Seattle Seahawks
Glenn Lovett
Managing director, Dentsu Sports Analytics
Note: Lovett leads a new division that brings together the agency’s research, data and analytics.
Jose Garnes
Chief content officer, British Basketball League (BBL)
Previously: Head of content, SailGP
Claire Nelson
Managing director, Netball Super League
Mark Foster
Chief commercial officer, England Netball
Previously: Chief commercial officer, Rugby Football League (RFL)
Lee Smith
Executive director, The Players Championship
Justine Fedak
Chief client officer, REvolution
Nuala Walsh
Independent non-executive director, The British & Irish Lions
David Jones
Independent non-executive director, The British & Irish Lions
Jonathan Mariner
Board of directors, Overtime
Departures
Toby Steele
Managing director, Southampton
Note: Steele’s responsibilities will be transferred to Michael Fenn, who will become the club’s chief financial officer.
