MP & Silva confirmed this afternoon that Seamus O’Brien will become the new president and group chief executive of the agency from January 1, with Jochen Lösch (pictured) stepping aside into a senior consultant role.
A spokesperson for MP & Silva told SportBusiness.com this afternoon that between now and New Year’s Day there will be a “period of handover and transition” involving Lösch, O’Brien and the rest of the senior management team.
As reported by TV Sports Markets on October 13, a management shake-up had been anticipated after the agency was dislodged earlier this month by rival IMG as the international rights-distribution partner of Italian football’s Serie A.
O’Brien began his career at CSI, which later became part of Octagon, before establishing the World Sport Group agency. In 2008, O’Brien sold his majority stake in World Sport Group to Lagardère Group, but continued to lead the agency as executive chairman until 2015. In 2014, he was also appointed to the role of deputy chairman of the executive committee of Lagardère’s Sports and Entertainment division.
Lösch, a qualified lawyer, was appointed as chief executive of MP & Silva a year ago after having served as president of international business at Traffic Sports Marketing.
“I am very grateful to the shareholders that they gave me the opportunity to lead such a great company,” Lösch said. “My special thanks go to Riccardo Silva and the MP & Silva staff, which always supported me 100 per cent. I am glad that I can continue working with MP & Silva as a consultant focusing mainly on ventures in Latin America. There are plenty of opportunities coming up, and MP & Silva is very well positioned to grab them.”
The agency’s chairman, Larry Feng, thanked Lösch for his “professionalism and dedication” and said that he had led the business “at a time of profound change.”
Feng added: “The appointment of Seamus O’Brien is a tremendous step for MP & Silva. Seamus is a pioneer with a fantastic reputation and is a man who instinctively understands the market we are in and the growth territories of the future. His experience of building strong international profiles for sports properties will be a huge asset to the company, our partners and our customers. This appointment is a fantastic reflection of the ambition we have to ensure MP & Silva remains as one of the world’s leading media rights companies.”
O’Brien said: “This is a business which, through its staff, founders and owners, has established a reputation for its entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism and it’s those qualities which I hope I can also bring to the role of president and group CEO. The shareholders and members of the board, including people I have known and respected for many years, are incredibly ambitious with a great vision for the company. By working with the talented team, they have built and utilising the extensive global network at our disposal, I am very confident that exciting times are ahead for MP & Silva.”