LOS ANGELES - (Business Wire) Peter Kenyon, former Chief Executive of Chelsea FC and Manchester United, has joined CAA Sports to lead its international efforts. Considered one of the most influential executives in global sports, Kenyon joins CAA Sports’ leadership team and will be responsible for guiding the agency’s growth overseas in such areas as athlete representation, endorsements, sports properties for sales and sponsorship, media rights, and corporate consulting, among others. Additionally, Kenyon will develop CAA Sports’ London operations, helping to build a dedicated international sales and management team. In just three years since its inception, CAA Sports, a division of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has become the United States’ foremost player representation firm, representing more than 500 of the world’s best athletes, coaches, broadcasters, and sports personalities. CAA Sports also works in the areas of corporate marketing, broadcast rights, and sports properties sponsorships.
“I have worked with CAA Sports over the past two years with Chelsea and have learned a lot from their approach and their team culture, which enables them to work effectively across a wide and exciting range of clients, both individuals and companies,” said Kenyon. “In a short period of time and in an increasingly competitive environment, CAA Sports has established itself as a leader in U.S. sports, and I look forward to helping grow its international presence and creating new opportunities for the agency and its clients overseas.”
Kenyon, who remains a non-executive director of Chelsea, had been Chief Executive at Stamford Bridge under owner Roman Abramovich since 2004. He built Chelsea FC into a global brand and most recently spearheaded the multi-million-dollar renegotiation of its jersey sponsorship deal with Samsung. During his tenure, Chelsea FC won the FA Cup in 2007 and 2009, and the prestigious Premiership in 2005 and 2006 and reached the Champions League Final in 2008.
“Peter’s outstanding record of success at the highest levels of international sports, plus his deep industry relationships and vast knowledge of the marketplace, will help us accelerate the momentum of our existing businesses and provide clients with unparalleled insight,” said CAA Managing Partner David O’Connor.
Added CAA Sports Co-Head Howard Nuchow, “Through our representation of Chelsea FC, we have had the opportunity to work closely with Peter and experience first-hand his collaborative, strategic approach to brand and business development. We are thrilled to work with him in his new role at CAA.”
Prior to joining Chelsea FC, Kenyon was Chief Executive of Manchester United, where he secured Nike as team sponsor, bringing in £303 million over 13 years; brokered a £30 million sponsorship deal with Vodafone; and orchestrated a ground-breaking merchandising partnership with the New York Yankees. Previously, he was the Production Director and Chief Executive of Sportswear at Umbro. Kenyon joined Umbro as Operations Director in 1986, when the company’s annual revenues were £16 million. He became Managing Director in 1993, redirected the company’s focus to football (soccer), and relocated the manufacturing to China. When he left the company in 1997 to join Manchester United, Umbro had become highly profitable, generating more than £600 million annually.
CAA Sports has agents based in numerous international territories including the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Russia, Japan, and Israel. The agency has a global partnership with Gestifute, a leading sports management company, to represent the world’s premier soccer players and coaches, including 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, the celebrated manager of InterMilan José Mourinho, Anderson (Manchester United), Nani (Manchester United), and Deco (Chelsea FC), among many others. Additionally, CAA Sports represents the 2009 UEFA Champion FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC. Its Tennis division represents the world’s #3-ranked men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic, #4-ranked Andy Murray, #2-ranked woman on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour Dinara Safina, the 2009 French Open Champion and #3-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, among others. CAA most recently launched its Golf division with the signing of international legend Greg Norman and his company, Great White Shark Enterprises.
The agency has negotiated some of the industry’s most ground-breaking deals and won a multitude of sports’ most widely sought-after partnerships, while continuing to foster the growth of its player representation business. Clients, among others, include NFL players Peyton Manning and Tony Romo; the NBA’s LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade; MLB’s Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard; the NHL’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin; soccer stars Ronaldo and David Beckham; and NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson; in addition to several of the world’s iconic venues including Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and Stamford Bridge. It has represented five of the last six #1 overall choices in the NFL Draft, as well as the first overall selection in the NHL Draft four of the past five years, including John Tavares in 2009, and won the highest amount ever awarded a player in MLB salary arbitration history. Additionally, CAA Sports represents more than three dozen NBA All-Star and emerging players including James, Anthony, Wade, Chris Bosh, Tony Parker, and Allen Iverson.
Kenyon will be based in CAA’s London office.
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CAA
Beth McClinton, 424-288-2000
bmcclinton@caa.com
