ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced today the appointment of David Shoemaker as the new President of the world's leading sport for women. Shoemaker, 38, previously the Tour's Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Head of the Asia-Pacific region, succeeds Stacey Allaster, who was recently appointed Chairman and CEO of the Tour.
In his new role, in addition to continuing to oversee the Tour's Asian operations, Shoemaker will be responsible for the overall day-to-day operations and business affairs of the Tour; tournament and player relations; strategic expansion of the sport in key growth markets; international TV and digital media rights distribution; and the Tour's year-end Championships. As the Head of the Tour's Asia-Pacific Operations, Shoemaker opened the Tour's Beijing headquarters in July 2008, where he has been responsible for defining and executing the strategy and growing the Tour's presence in the region. In his new role as President, Shoemaker will relocate by end of year to the Tour's corporate headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida and report to Allaster.
"David Shoemaker is a tremendous asset to women's tennis and has been an integral member of the executive team for the last five years," Allaster said. "David has done a fantastic job for the Tour on so many fronts, most recently defining the Tour's strategy and leading our efforts to grow women's tennis in Asia-Pacific. David's unparalleled talent, business acumen and commitment to women's tennis have contributed significantly to the worldwide expansion and prosperity of the sport. It is a privilege to have David as a vital part of the leadership team."
Commenting on his promotion to President, David Shoemaker said: "The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has never been in a stronger position and yet it continues to have incredible untapped potential. I am very excited to be part of Stacey's team, and to have the opportunity to help lead the Tour and our sport to another level of success. The Tour has immense global appeal and, among my top priorities, I aim to drive continued growth in our key emerging markets."
A native of Ottawa, Canada, Shoemaker joined the Tour in 2004 as General Counsel, and less than two years later he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Shoemaker added the title of Head of Asia-Pacific region and relocated to the Tour's Beijing headquarters in July 2008. Among his accomplishments with the Tour, Shoemaker has played an integral role in (i) negotiating the Tour's landmark six-year, $88 million title sponsorship agreement with Sony Ericsson, (ii) negotiating and securing $84 million in agreements bringing the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships to Doha, Qatar from 2008 - 2010 and to Istanbul, Turkey from 2011 - 2013, (iii) negotiating the largest TV rights deal in the Tour's history - a four year extension of the Tour's international TV rights deal with Eurosport, and (iv) negotiating the Tour's landmark deal with the China Open that has resulted in Beijing hosting one of the four biggest events on Tour beginning in 2009 and the historic opening of the Tour's headquarters in Beijing. Additionally, David has played the lead role for the Tour in the formation of a unified anti-corruption program across the major governing bodies in tennis, principally to address issues relating to gambling in professional tennis.
Since opening the Tour's China office, Shoemaker's accomplishments include a successful negotiation of a four-year agreement with state-owned and controlled China Central Television (CCTV) for the broadcast of Tour tennis in mainland China, reaching 335 million households - the first agreement of its kind for the Tour. One of Shoemaker's first undertakings will be finding his replacement for the Head of the Tour's Asia-Pacific Operations.
Prior to joining the Tour, Shoemaker, a corporate and commercial litigator, spent seven years practicing law at two of the most prestigious firms in New York, first at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and then at Proskauer Rose LLP. At Proskauer, Shoemaker specialized in sports-related client representation. As an advisor to both sports leagues and teams, Shoemaker engaged in all aspects of legal and business affairs for his clients, including the National Hockey League (NHL), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Major League Soccer (MLS), the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins. Shoemaker began his career in 1996 as law clerk to the Right Honorable Antonio Lamer, Chief Justice of Canada, following his graduation from the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law, where Shoemaker finished first in his class. In 2008, Shoemaker was named to the prestigious Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" list.
