Sophie Goldschmidt

Sophie Goldschmidt is a British business executive. She is Chief Executive Officer of the World Surf League.[1] Goldschmidt was ranked number 15, on the 2018 Forbes list of the "Most Powerful Women In International Sport,"[2][3] after having announced in January 2018, an exclusive digital broadcasting rights deal for WSL, with Facebook, worth $30 million over two years.[4]

Sophie Goldschmidt
Alma materBaylor University
OccupationBusiness executive
TitleCEO of World Surf League
Term2017-present
PredecessorDirk Ziff

Early life and education

She received a tennis scholarship to Baylor University in Texas. After playing on their team for four years, she received a business degree at Baylor University's graduate school.[5] She made her pro tennis debut in 1991, playing doubles, at the ITF Frinton tournament,[6] however due to an injury she was forced to quit playing.[7]

Career

After graduate school, she was hired by Adidas. She then had a job marketing tennis and soccer.[5] She has worked as vice president of marketing and sponsorship at the Women’s Tennis Association.[7][8] In 2010, Goldschmidt was made a senior vice president of the National Basketball Association in Europe and Middle East.[9] She was ranked in the 2011 Sports Business Journal, "Top 40 Under 40" list.[7][9] Before joining the WSL, she was the chief commercial and marketing director of the Rugby Football Union.[10]

She was appointed WSL CEO on 19 July 2017.[1] Despite her lack of practical surfing experience,[8] which was met by cynics stating, "Goldschmidt don't surf,"[9] she was recruited for her marketing and communications background, as the WSL, planned to expand its audience base after having invested in Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch in 2016.[2] Goldschmidt hoped for more consistent programing and to democratize surfing through the mechanical wave. In an interview with CNN, she had said, "it's not taking away from the ocean, it just enhances it. It allows us to take the sport to a broader audience."[2] In 2018, Goldschmidt announced the WSL, had signed a two-year exclusive digital rights broadcast deal with Facebook worth $30 million.[4]

In late 2017, she was refused a permit by the Mayor of Honolulu to hold the WSL's main event, the Pipe Masters, at its traditional location in Oahu, Hawaii in January 2018.[11]

2018 was the first year women were allowed to surf at the Mavericks contest in August,[12] although the event attracted controversy for not providing equal prize money to men and women.[13][14] Under Goldschmidt, in August 2018, WSL announced that it had decided to present equal prize money regardless of gender.[10]

Personal life

She lives in Santa Monica, California.[5]

References
  1. "Sophie Goldschmidt Appointed CEO of World Surf League". WSL. July 19, 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. Hodgetts, Rob. "Meet the British woman taking surfing into the future". CNN. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  3. "No. 15: Sophie Goldschmidt". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  4. Badenhausen, Kurt. "Facebook And World Surf League Announce Exclusive Partnership". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  5. "Sophie Goldschmidt's cool job: World Surf League CEO". ESPN. United States. March 13, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. "Sophie Goldschmidt". WTA Tennis. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  7. "40 Under 40: Goldschmidt". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  8. Peel, Charlie (March 16, 2018). "Bad on boards but surf CEO Sophie Goldschmidt means business". The Australian. Australia. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  9. Haro, Alexander. "WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt Makes Forbes List of 'Most Powerful Women in Sports'". The Inertia. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  10. "World champion Stephanie Gilmore praises World Surf League equal prize money announcement". BBC. United Kingdom. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  11. "The WSL And Hawaii Bid 'Aloha.' Or, The Unfortunate Misadventures Of Sophie Goldschmidt". Stab Magazine. 2017.
  12. "We're Starting To See The Tides Change': Women To Compete In Mavericks Surf Contest For First Time". WBUR.
  13. Almond, Elliott (August 24, 2018). "Equal pay or no one plays? Big-wave women draw line in the sand at Mavericks". The Mercury News.
  14. "MMavericks Event May Demand Equal Pay for WOmen". Surfer Mag.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.