Greg Brown Retires, Cole Gahagan Upped To Pres./CEO At Learfield IMG College

Brown, Gahagan

LEARFIELD IMG COLLEGE Pres./CEO GREG BROWN has announced his retirement and the appointment of President, Content, Revenue and Enterprise Solutions COLE GAHAGAN as Pres./CEO. GAHAGAN joined the company in JANUARY after serving as Chief Commercial Officer at FANATICS, INC. and previously worked as CRO at TICKETMASTER and SVP/Development and Strategy at LIVE NATION. BROWN, with LEARFIELD since 1984 and Pres./CEO since 2009, will stay on as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors and as an advisor; he said that he had planned the move for later this year but moved the announcement up due to the abrupt end of the college sports season in the pandemic.
 
“It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to be associated with the great people of this company and the collegiate sports industry for the past 36 years. LEARFIELD IMG COLLEGE is in good hands with COLE GAHAGAN and our outstanding employees,” said BROWN. “When COLE joined us in JANUARY, I had in my mind transitioning to this new role later in 2020. But with college sports on virtual hold, this lull is an ideal time for the company leadership to transition now so we will be well positioned to serve our partners and sponsor brands on the other side of this national crisis. COLE brings extraordinary experiences to the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
 
“It has been an absolute honor working with and learning from GREG BROWN -- not just over the last several months — but during the years I observed his leadership and accomplishments from other corners of our sports industry,” said GAHAGAN. “I’m grateful for his friendship and guidance, and I’m looking forward to continue our working relationship for many years to come.

“Now more than ever, our LEARFIELD IMG COLLEGE team has a responsibility to usher the collegiate athletics industry into a new era of growth; leveraging data mining, digital tools and highly compelling content to engage more fans. Over the last several years, we have evolved from serving as an asset creation and sales company to a fully integrated media and tech leader -- and we’re only getting started. I’m humbled to now help lead this new charge and am beyond bullish for what lies ahead -- both for our people and our partners.”

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