Changing of the guard at Legends

Image: Legends

Legends has named Dan Levy as its new CEO while Shervin Mirhashemi will move into a new full-time role as vice chairman.

Sportico said the latest moves come as Legends, the sports venue operations and experiences company, is in the process of its planned merger with venue management company ASM Global.

Founded in 2008 as a joint stadium operations venture between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, Legends has expanded from managing concessions to a full-fledged services company.

Legends provides venue planning and project management, premium sales, sponsorship, hospitality, and merchandise services to many of the world’s most iconic sports, entertainment and attractions brands, including Spanish LaLiga club Real Madrid CF and the 70,240-capacity SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

In March, Levy joined Legends’ board of directors and was also named interim president. He had previously had lengthy stints with PayPal and Meta (formerly Facebook Inc.).

At Meta, Levy led the growth and monetization of new business, and the tech company’s ad business earned more than $100 billion in revenue during his time there.

Levy’s arrival at Legends coincided with the exit of several Legends executives, including Curt McClellan, former co-president and Chief Corporate Officer, and Dan Smith, former longtime Legends Hospitality President, who moved over to an advisory role in early 2024.

The appointments were announced in an email to company employees that was viewed by Sportico.

Mirhashemi said in the memo, “For almost 11 years, running the day-to-day operations and growing this incredible business has been my professional life’s blessing and greatest driver.

“We have come a long way from having a handful of partners to being the leader in our business services sector, all while setting the highest bar in our industry. Our best-in-class people, white label approach and ability to consistently deliver the most effective solutions for our partners have supported Legends’ continuous development and unprecedented track record.”

In November 2023, Legends announced its intention to buy ASM Global, which manages more than 300 venues around the world.

ASM Global manages a portfolio of live event entertainment venues worldwide and provides best-in-class venue operation and content and event booking. With clients spanning five continents, ASM Global operates venues that serve live events for more than 164 million guests annually including at the the 16,000-capacity Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, the 12,500-capacity OVO Arena Wembley in London (UK)

Mirhashemi was hired as Legends’ president and chief operating officer in 2013 before being promoted to CEO in 2016.

Though the long-time chief executive is moving into a new role, he will remain on the company’s board.

Mirhashemi has been centrally involved in the company’s growth from a couple hundred employees in 2013 to more than 3,000 today.

Legends, whose revenues have grown tenfold during Mirhashemi’s time, is currently awaiting Department of Justice approval to greenlight its reported $2.4 billionplus acquisition of ASM Global.

Mirhashemi ended the memo by asking his employees to “keep bringing the focus and passion that makes Legends so very special” and “Lets gooooooooo!!!!”

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