Anthem Sports and Entertainment said it has named three industry veterans to top posts, enhancing the executive ranks in the wake of its recent purchase of a controlling stake in AXS TV.
Anthem said it has named Chris Ledwith SVP of national advertising sales, Shelley West as SVP of global partnerships and Anthony Burroughs as VP of sales, Canada. All three had previously served as strategic advisers to the company.
“Chris, Shelley and Anthony each bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our company and will drive our sales and global partnership efforts to new heights,” said Anthem founder and CEO Leonard Asper in a press release. “These outstanding additions to our management team will help ensure Anthem continues to accelerate its growth and expansion.”
Anthem purchased a controlling stake in AXS TV and HDNet Movies from tech guru Mark Cuban last month. Cuban will continue to own equity in the company, as well as entertainer and entrepreneur Steve Harvey.
The appointments also come shortly after Anthem named industry vets Randy Brown as SVP of distribution and Peter Cohen as SVP programming strategy and content development.
Ledwith had previously served in sales roles with Comcast, NBCU Sports Group, NBC News, E! and About.com. In his new role, his responsibilities include strategic partnerships and new business opportunities. He will oversee U.S. sales operations for Anthem’s networks, including all ad sales, marketing and product integration strategies aimed at maximizing value to sponsors and advertisers. He will also work closely with Anthem partner AEG Worldwide.
West had been SVP of global partnerships for Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions and had previously worked with IMG, Rogers Media, iHeartRadio, FIFA, SPARTAN and the European Tour. In her new position she will oversee all sponsorship development and partnership execution across the company’s portfolio, focusing on IMPACT! Wrestling, and including all sponsorship and third-party partnership development for AXS TV and HDNET Movies.
Burroughs, who had worked for Rogers Sportsnet, Bell Media and Quebecor Media, will oversee all Canadian ad sales.
