Michael White in top-tier Panthers role

Article posted by Coliseum, April 17^th, 2026

Image: NHL and Florida Panthers

The National Hockey League (NHL) team Florida Panthers (US) announced recently that Michael White has been named President of Business Operations and will oversee all business aspects of the four Panthers operated facilities: The 23,000-capacity Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the Baptist Health IcePlex (a state-of-the-art practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and the Panthers IceDen and War Memorial Auditorium.

‘nhl.com’ stated that White joins the Panthers after most recently serving as the Chief Product Officer at Amazon’s autonomous vehicle company, Zoox, where he led consumer strategy, go-to-market, business development, and live operations for the world’s first purpose-built autonomous robotaxi. He helped design and operationalize an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered, end-to-end customer experience while advancing commercial partnerships and launch strategies across the key markets.

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami Metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a Member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.

The 23,000-capacity Amerant Bank Arena is an indoor arena in Sunrise, Florida, United States. It is the home venue for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

‘nhl.com’ quoted Michael Viola, Panthers Owner, as stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Michael White to our Panthers family. After a diligent and comprehensive search we are confident that Michael is the right fit to lead our organization into continued success. He brings to our club a proven record in consumer experience, partnership growth and product development for some of the world’s most successful companies and invaluable capabilities of organizational leadership and visionary innovation. Michael will play a key role in our next phase of growth as we work to deliver memorable experiences for the sports and entertainment fans.”

White previously spent 11 years with The Walt Disney Company where he held several senior leadership roles spanning parks, media, consumer products, and retail. White created connected experiences for the millions of consumers across Disney’s businesses and helped advance Disney’s broader digital and direct-to-consumer strategy including ESPN+, ESPN Digital and Fantasy Sports.

White also served as the Senior Vice-President of the Disney Parks Experience launching industry-leading innovations like MagicBand+ and Genie+ to enhance the guest experiences across parks, cruise lines and digital platforms. He was instrumental in the development of digital platforms and products in collaboration with the National Basketball Association (NBA) supporting the restart of the 2020 NBA season and playoffs at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

New York (US)-based the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams. The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.

Earlier in his Disney career, White helped drive the company’s digital modernization across consumer products and interactive media including streaming, mobile, gaming, e-commerce, and connected products across brands including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars including the modernization of the Disney Store’s online, mobile and in-store guest experience platforms.

Opined White, “From the moment I met the Viola family it was instantly clear to me how much the Florida Panthers mean to them and how important this organization is to the South Florida community. My family and I are beyond excited to join a world-class group that values success not only by its championships on the ice but its impact off it as well. I am thrilled to bring my experience combining exceptional hospitality and cutting-edge technology to serve the Florida Panthers fans at the Amerant Bank Arena and all entities of our organization.”

Before joining The Walt Disney Company White held a number of senior leadership roles across technology and digital consumer businesses including more than a decade at Yahoo!.

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