PLANO, Texas – Ben Mathan, a critical key advisor since joining the company two years ago, has been promoted to chief strategy officer, LEARFIELD President and CEO Cole Gahagan has announced.
Mathan has previously held the role of senior vice president, strategy and business operations. In addition to bringing valuable perspective to the company’s leadership team, Mathan will be responsible for LEARFIELD’s overall strategy and data analytics. He will have senior oversight of the various teams contributing to the company’s data, insights and sales strategies, as well as Fanbase™ – the largest data and analytics platform in intercollegiate athletics with more than 30 million known fan records and 150 million anonymized devices.
Prior to joining LEARFIELD, Mathan held various roles in the investment banking and private equity sectors. He spent five years with Atairos Management, where he was a senior associate and integral member of the investment team that acquired LEARFIELD Communications, Inc. in 2016 and guided LEARFIELD’s acquisitions of Paciolan and Mogo as well as its merger with IMG College. Mathan, a New York University alumnus, also previously served with Tenex Capital Management, Wells Fargo Securities and Morgan Stanley.
“Since joining the LEARFIELD team in 2020, Ben has made an indelible impact on virtually every division of the company,” said Gahagan. “Guided by an unrivaled work ethic, he has played a tremendous role in helping our leadership team navigate the pandemic, diversify our business, and grow the company. We’re beyond fortunate to now have Ben leading our efforts around data management, strategy and analytics.”
In addition to Gahagan, Mathan joins nine other members of the LEARFIELD leadership team including John Brody (sponsorship revenue), Kim Damron (ticketing/Paciolan), Jennifer Davis (marketing), Mike Hamilton (university partnerships), Cory Moss (licensing/CLC), John Raleigh (legal), Rob Schneider (innovation, development and content), Kristine Schroeder (people and culture), and Temple Weiss (operating and finance).
About LEARFIELD
LEARFIELD is a leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics; ticketing, ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.