Oak View Group vital tech, hospitality hires

Article posted by Coliseum, February 22^nd, 2024

Image: OVG

The Oak View Group (OVG) (US) has announced the appointments of Katee LaPoff as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Josh Pell as President of Premium Experiences and Global Strategy.

‘SVG NEWS’ stated that in her new role, LaPoff will continue to report to Steve Collins, President, Global Venue Development, as well as to Ade Patton, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chris Granger, President of OVG360. Pell will also continue to report to Steve Collins as well as to Francesca Bodie, Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The Oak View Group (OVG), LLC is an American professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Denver. It manages several sports venues, including the 18,300-capacity Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, which was constructed under the company’s supervision.

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The OVG360, a division of Oak View Group (OVG), is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that help client-partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artistes, athletes, and the surrounding communities.

Commented Collins, “I have been privileged to work with Josh for almost a decade and with Katee more than twice that time. I was excited when each joined OVG and today I am extremely proud to see these two dynamic leaders promoted into expanded roles that recognize not only their accomplishments but also the confidence we all have in their abilities to propel the company forward. Katee’s vision and depth of experience make her the ideal person to develop the technology strategy across all of OVG’s businesses. Josh’s first-hand knowledge at almost every level of hospitality management will continue to distinguish OVG’s premium level foodservice and retail experiences at our venues.”

Asserted LaPoff, “Our Oak View Group leaders and teams have an unwavering commitment to innovation and disruption in the sports and live entertainment industry. Nowhere is the entrepreneurial spirit more important and relevant than technology, where pushing the boundaries is critical to staying ahead. I am thrilled to step into the CTO role and continue to work across divisions to deliver tech strategies that add value for our partners while bringing teams and artistes closer to their fans.”

Put in Pell, “Attention to detail is what continues to set Oak View Group venues apart, creating a truly premium atmosphere for all our guests. The opportunities to ‘Wow’ our guests and enhance the entire venue experience are endless. I’m excited for the opportunity to continue to explore unique, innovative approaches to our hospitality offerings leveraging our design and planning team, our world-class partners and state-of-the-art technology.”

‘SVG NEWS’ further stated that in her new role as the CTO, LaPoff will lead a diverse and talented technology team, fostering innovation and collaboration across OVG’s businesses. Over the last three years, LaPoff has served as Oak View Group’s Senior Vice- President of Project Management and Technology where she was responsible for the global strategy and execution of venue technology, including those at the 15,000+-capacity Moody Center in Austin, Texas, the 11,000-capacity Acrisure Arena in California and the 14,000-capacity CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Prior to OVG, LaPoff was the Senior Vice-President (SVP) of Technology at the Madison Square Garden Companies for 10 years after which she held a variety of positions at Sterling Project Development related to the management of large venue enterprise and information technology (IT) systems and operations. Katee is a graduate of the University of North Texas (B.A.) and Regis University where she holds an M.S. in Management and Organizational Leadership.

New York (US)-based Sterling Project Development (SPD) provides the leadership, expertise and intelligence to successfully plan and execute real estate development projects across the globe. The company actively manage or advise on over 300 projects valued at more than $30 billion.

In his expanded role as the President of Premium Experiences and Global Strategy, Pell will oversee Oak View Group’s e-commerce platform and all premium opportunities, and will continue to manage OVG’s hospitality, food and beverage (F&B) and technology design initiatives globally. He will have profit and loss (P&L) oversight over all owned and operated food and beverage programs and direct the development of additional revenue opportunities.

In his previous role as the SVP, Global Hospitality Strategy Planning and Development, Pell was instrumental in the hospitality design and rollout of the Moody Center, the Acrisure Arena and the CFG Bank Arena programs.

Prior to joining OVG in 2022, Josh held a variety of senior positions at the 47,943-capacity T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, the 18,000+-capacity Chase Center in San Francisco, California, and the 42,445-capacity Petco Park in San Diego, California. In 2018, he was named ‘GM of the Year’ for Sodexo (food service company)/Centerplate (hospitality company) and was instrumental in developing the food and beverage program for the Petco Park, named ‘USA Today’s’ Best Ballpark in America in 2016 and again in 2022.

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