Drew Cloud Joins Odgers Berndtson as Partner and Head of U.S. Sports & Entertainment Practice

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Aug 04, 2021, 10:10 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Odgers Berndtson, the world's sixth largest global executive search firm, is pleased to announce Drew Cloud has joined the firm as Partner and Head of the U.S. Sports & Entertainment Practice based in New York. He joins Odgers Berndtson after almost three years with RSR Partners, another executive search firm and 20+ years as a sport industry leader.

"We are thrilled that Drew has joined the firm to lead the U.S. Sports Practice," said Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson U.S. "His leadership roles at various teams across sports leagues, including the NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS, helping them create and execute strategy around revenue growth and talent development, make him uniquely positioned to recruit senior leaders and provide human capital advisory services across the global sports ecosystem. The depth of Drew's knowledge of the Sports & Entertainment industry allows him to immediately serve as a trusted advisor to our clients and to bring transformational leaders to world-class organizations."

According to Simon Cummins, Odgers Berndtson's Global Head of Sports based in London and Zurich, "Drew is a veteran sports executive having served in senior positions with various leagues including spending time in the NBA's league office where he played a key role in the development of its revenue and transformation strategy. Having Drew as part of our Global Sports team based in the U.S. will bolster our international search capabilities and help us serve our current and future clients as they look to build their organizations to meet consumers' expectations of rich, engaging, multichannel content."

"I am looking forward to bringing my unique combination of practical industry experience, advisory insights, and assessment skills to Odgers Berndtson and joining a global platform that is experienced working with the changing needs of the most significant federations, governing bodies, leagues, teams, agencies and content creators in the world. Odgers Berndtson's reputation for collaboration, execution, and innovation is the ideal fit for me. I am excited to blend my hands-on knowledge with innovative tools like OB Dynamics, IdenX, and OrgShakers to develop comprehensive business solutions for our partners. I am delighted to be joining this distinctive team of executive search professionals."

Drew brings more than 20 years of relevant experience & insights, including Chief Business Officer for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has held leadership positions across many professional sports teams and leagues, including the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Major League Soccer (MLS), where he devised and executed strategies for revenue growth, corporate partnerships, marketing, talent development, and team/venue operations.

A graduate of Ohio University where he received two degrees, a Bachelors in Sports Industry/Business and a Masters in Athletic Administration, Drew has served as a faculty advisor for Ohio University, Robert Morris University, University of South Florida and is an Adjunct Professor in Sports Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

About Odgers Berndtson
For more than 50 years, Odgers Berndtson has delivered executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to the world's biggest and best organizations. Odgers Berndtson's 250+ partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of more than 30 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and is one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson currently has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.