ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The WTA on Thursday announced the industry leaders who will serve as board members of WTA Ventures. WTA Ventures’ creation was announced in March as the new commercial entity of the WTA and is part of the WTA’s strategic partnership with CVC Capital Partners, to build upon the strong legacy the WTA has established over the last 50 years.
The Board of Directors for WTA Ventures will consist of nine members from across the tennis, broadcasting, entertainment and finance industries. WTA CEO Steve Simon will serve as Board Chairman with one additional Board Independent Member and the CEO yet to be named.
“We are excited to have this incredible group of business executives join WTA Ventures, bringing a unique set of expertise and perspectives to the company,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said. “This team shares our vision of growing and strengthening the sport of women’s tennis as we embark on this new direction for the WTA. There is no question that the creation of WTA Ventures will further elevate the profile of the WTA and accelerate commercial growth for the benefit of the fans, players, tournaments and other stakeholders in the game.”
The WTA Ventures Board Representatives are:
Ann Sarnoff (WTA Player Manager) is a top media executive with more than 30 years of experience in senior leadership positions in some of the world’s most valuable and recognized media companies including Warner Bros., the BBC, Viacom and Dow Jones, as well as serving as COO of the WNBA. Most recently Ann was Chair and CEO of Warner Bros. -- the first woman to serve in that role. Ann also serves on the Board of Directors at PayPal and is Vice Chair of both the Georgetown McDonough School of Business and The Shed.
Michelle Difilippantonio Wilson (WTA Player Manager) is the Founder and co-CEO of Isos Capital Management and has an extensive background working at sports organizations spanning more than 25 years, having previously held high-profile roles at the NBA, USTA and WWE. Michelle sits on various other boards, including Make-A-Wish, Bowlero Corp. and WWE, and is regularly featured in power-ranking lists compiled by Forbes, Adweek and Sports Illustrated.
Jennifer Lum (WTA Tournament Manager) is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Biospring Partners. She is an accomplished tech investor and entrepreneur who has been directly involved with over 50 companies, resulting in IPOs and acquisitions by Apple, Twitter and others. Jennifer is a Venture Capital Advisor at Harvard Business School and previously sat on the WTA's Digital Advisory Board.
Gavin Ziv (WTA Tournament Manager) has served as a board member on WTA and ATP Media and brings a wealth of tennis experience to WTA Ventures, overseeing Tennis Canada tournaments for over 25 years. He started in tennis in 1987 when he was selected to be ball boy at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto, before eventually managing the event from 2015 onwards.
Gemma Wright (CVC Manager) is a Senior Managing Director in the Sports, Media & Entertainment team at CVC, and has been involved in the firm’s partnerships in Rugby, Ligue 1, La Liga, Volleyball, SkyBet and Cricket. She holds Non-Executive Director positions at Volleyball World and Premiership Rugby.
Simon Denyer (CVC Manager) is a highly experienced sports media, digital and betting specialist. Denyer founded, been CEO and floated the Perform Group (global data and streaming platform). He also founded, launched and was CEO of DAZN (multi-sport global OTT platform) and has also served on many company and sports rights holder boards and steering committees. He is currently an advisor to CVC and a Non-Executive Director at Volleyball World.
