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Tim Leiweke

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American sports executive
Tim Leiweke
CEO of the Oak View Group (OVG)
In office
November 16, 2015 – Present
Preceded byOffice established
CEO and President of MLSE
In office
April 26, 2013 – October 29, 2015
Preceded byTom Anselmi
Succeeded byMichael Friisdahl
CEO and President of AEG
In office
1996 – March 14, 2013
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byDan Beckerman
Personal details
Born (1957-04-21) April 21, 1957 (age 67)
St. Louis, Missouri, US
Residence(s)Los Angeles, California

Timothy J. Leiweke (born April 21, 1957) is an American businessman who is the chief executive officer of Oak View Group. He was the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and the former president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). He held roughly a 4% stake in AEG as of 2012, and is well known for his relationship with notoriously reclusive AEG founder and Denver-based billionaire Philip Anschutz, whom he has known since the early 1990s. Since November 2015, Leiweke has been the CEO of Oak View Group, "a global advisory, development, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries".

Anschutz Entertainment Group

Leiweke was president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Galaxy, part of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the L.A. Live entertainment complex. AEG also owns multiple sporting and entertainment venues around the world such as the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles and the O2 Arena in London, which it manages. In September 2012 it was announced that AEG would be put up for sale. A deal for the privately owned group, reportedly worth up to US$10 billion, was expected to be announced sometime in the first half of 2013. On March 14, 2013 Anschutz announced that AEG was no longer for sale. In an interview, Anschutz said that he had recently become "reengaged" in the business and also suggested the company had failed to receive bids close to the $8 to $10 billion asking price.

On the same day that it was announced the sale had been called off, it was announced Leiweke would be replaced as President and CEO by AEG executive Dan Beckerman, who previously was the chief operating officer and chief financial officer. The change in leadership was attributed by some analysts as a reaction to the failure AEG experienced in attracting serious bidders during the sale process and its inability to securing a National Football League (NFL) occupant (team) for Farmers Field, a proposed stadium next to L.A. Live.

Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment

Leiweke became the president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) on April 26, 2013. MLSE is 75% owned by Rogers Communications and Bell Canada. MLSE's properties are the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Major League Soccer team Toronto FC, as well as multiple sport and residential properties including Scotiabank Arena, Ricoh Coliseum, and Maple Leaf Square. During his tenure, Leiweke lived in Toronto. He was integral in the signings of Toronto FC designated players Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe, and Sebastian Giovinco as well as the hiring of Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and Raptors president Masai Ujiri.

On August 21, 2014, Leiweke announced that he would be leaving MLSE and would remain in his role until June 30, 2015 or until MLSE had named his successor. He left MLSE on October 29, 2015 after the appointment of Michael Friisdahl as his successor.

Oak View Group

On November 16, 2015, Leiweke and his business partner, Irving Azoff, founded Oak View Group (OVG), a "global advisory, development and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries". Leiweke is OVG's CEO. As of 2024, its global corporate headquarters is headquartered in Denver with regional offices based in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, London, and Toronto.

On December 4, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7–1 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the OVG for the renovation of KeyArena. Renovations for the arena began in 2018 and were completed in 2021.

On December 7, the NHL's board of governors agreed to consider an application for an expansion team from Seattle, the Seattle Kraken, with an expansion fee set at $650 million. The Seattle ownership group is represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer. On February 20, Mayor Jenny Durkan launched an NHL campaign during her State of the City and announced that Oak View Group would be initiating a season ticket drive on March 1, 2018. On December 4, 2018, the National Hockey League announced that the league would expand to Seattle in 2021 with the approval of the group's bid.

Personal life

Leiweke is married to Bernadette. They have one daughter, Francesca, who is married to Troy Bodie, both a pro hockey scout and a former player with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As of 2024, Francesca is the chief operating officer for her father's company, Oak View Group.

Tim's younger brother, Tod Leiweke, is the chief executive officer and president of the Seattle Kraken of the NHL; Tod was the chief operating officer of the NFL from 2015 to 2018.

References

  1. ^ "A closer look at Tim Leiweke". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. April 27, 2013.
  2. "The Man Who Owns L.A." The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Tim Leiweke and Azoff MSG Entertainment Join Forces to Launch the Oak View Group (OVG)". Globe Newswire. November 16, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  4. "A Conversation With Tim Leiweke - Moving Toward a United State", Los Angeles Times, November 14, 2004. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013.
  5. "Sports Illustrated, July 17., 2007". cnn.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  6. Fixmer, Andy (September 19, 2012). "Phil Anschutz to Sell L.A.-Based Live-Event Promoter AEG". Bloomberg.
  7. Vuong, Andy (December 6, 2012). "Bids for Phil Anschutz' AEG reportedly due Friday". Denver Post.
  8. ^ Vuong, Andy (March 14, 2013). "Anschutz says AEG no longer up for sale". Denver Post.
  9. Dickerson, Marla; Hamilton, Walter (March 14, 2013). "Philip Anschutz says he decided to 'reengage' in AEG management". Los Angeles Times.
  10. Lopez, Ricardo (March 14, 2013). "Meet new AEG chief executive Dan Beckerman, longtime finance man". Los Angeles Times.
  11. Svaldi, Aldo (March 15, 2013). "Anschutz ends AEG sale as offers fall short". Denver Post.
  12. Elliot, Helene. "Tim Leiweke tapped to lead Canadian sports conglomerate", The Los Angeles Times, 27 April 2013. Retrieved on 28 November 2021.
  13. "Former MLSE boss Tim Leiweke says Raptors' run is a remarkable story". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  14. Zwolinski, Mark (August 21, 2014). "Tim Leiweke to leave MLSE by June 30, 2015". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  15. ^ "Our Executive Team – Oak View Group". www.oakviewgroup.com. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  16. "Our Offices – Oak View Group". www.oakviewgroup.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  17. "KeyArena MOU approved by Seattle City Council; will NHL announcement soon follow?". The Seattle Times. December 4, 2017.
  18. "KeyArena renovation wins approval from Seattle City Council". KING-TV. December 4, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  19. "Bettman says NHL will consider Seattle expansion bid". USA Today. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  20. Rosen, Dan (December 7, 2017). "Seattle can begin NHL expansion process". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  21. "BREAKING: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan kicks off a campaign for NHL expansion". Sonics Rising. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  22. Fitz-Gerald, Sean (16 September 2013). "Toronto Maple Leafs hopeful tells father-in-law Tim Leiweke — 'in the nicest way possible' — not to make decisions on his hockey career". National Post. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
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