NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG) today announced that Geraldine Calpin has been named the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Calpin will be responsible for setting an overall marketing and digital vision for MSG that helps drive growth across the Company’s portfolio of renowned sports and entertainment assets.
Ms. Calpin will bring decades of award-winning experience spearheading world-class brands to help strengthen and grow MSG’s celebrated assets. She will work closely with MSG’s executive management team on delivering innovative brand strategies and digital platforms that engage consumers, drive value for partners and help deliver a world-class experience across all MSG’s assets. These include iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, California; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston; professional sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers, Counter Logic Gaming and Liberty; and live entertainment properties, including the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. She will also focus on the brand development for MSG Sphere, state-of-the-art venues that will pioneer the next generation of immersive entertainment experiences, which the Company has announced it will build in Las Vegas and London.
Ms. Calpin will report to Andrew Lustgarten, President of The Madison Square Garden Company. Mr. Lustgarten said: “We are pleased to welcome Geraldine to The Madison Square Garden Company. Her significant expertise in marketing and brand development will be important to our efforts to strengthen our visibility in the marketplace and establish innovative ways to engage with our customers, as well as our ambitious plans to expand the MSG brand to new markets.”
“I am thrilled to join The Madison Square Garden Company,” said Ms. Calpin. “I look forward to joining this dedicated, passionate team to support the Company’s vision for its legendary brands, as well as for its next chapter – MSG Sphere, as these groundbreaking music and entertainment venues become part of an unparalleled global portfolio.”
Ms. Calpin joins MSG from WeWork, where she was Chief Marketing Officer – EMEA, and responsible for leading the marketing strategy for the Company’s expansion across Europe. Prior to WeWork, Ms. Calpin had a 16-year career at Hilton Worldwide, in roles of increasing responsibility. As Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, she set the strategy for enterprise-wide marketing and digital functions across 14 brands and 100+ countries – overseeing a team of more than 300 employees and annual revenue of $30 billion. Ms. Calpin delivered on several innovative, industry-leading initiatives, including Digital Key (using a mobile phone as the key to a hotel door) and a re-launch of the Hilton Honors rewards program to more than 60 million members worldwide. Her prior roles at Hilton include: Senior Vice President, Global Head of Digital, and Vice President, Global eCommerce Services, during which she founded Hilton’s global eCommerce function and built teams and tools to drive the commercial performance of Hilton’s direct websites. Prior to joining Hilton in 2002, Ms. Calpin held consulting and various other roles in the hospitality industry.
An established thought leader, Ms. Calpin has been recognized as one of AdWeek’s top 4 CMOs “Transforming Marketing in a Multichannel World” (2017); AdWeek’s top 15 “Most Technology Savvy” CMOs (2017); CNN’s 11 people “changing the way we travel” (2016); and Advertising Age’s “Top Women to Watch” (2016).
Ms. Calpin received a BA in Economics and Finance from Strathclyde University in Scotland.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. Other MSG properties include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and esports teams through Counter Logic Gaming, a leading North American esports organization, and Knicks Gaming, MSG’s NBA 2K League franchise. In addition, the Company features the popular original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces New England’s preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG umbrella is TAO Group, a world-class hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, Beauty & Essex and Vandal. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
Contact: Erica Slep / 212-465-6413 / Erica.Slep@msg.com