Welcome to Sideline Moves, Insider Sport’s weekly roundup spotlighting the key moves shaping the business of sport.
Arsenal promoted Omar Shaikh to become its first Chief Revenue Officer, while Celtic added Mark Keane and Raymond Buchanan to its board.
DAZN reshuffled its senior leadership team, Lucy Bronze invested in women’s football retailer Foudys and Adrian Bevington took over as Aberdeen CEO.
Arsenal hire its first chief revenue officer
Arsenal has promoted Omar Shaikh to become the club’s first chief revenue officer, expanding his remit across its commercial functions.
Shaikh, who joined the Premier League club in 2023, will also join Arsenal’s Executive Team and take responsibility for partnerships, ventures, retail and commercial venue operations.
He arrived at Arsenal as partnerships development director before becoming global partnerships and ventures director in 2024, overseeing areas including partnership development, digital media advertising, international tours, football development and player image rights.
Before joining Arsenal, Shaikh spent almost nine years at Liverpool, most recently as vice president of commercial development.
Changes to the commercial department at Arsenal have been happening a lot as of late. In July, Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal, announced she would be stepping down from her role at the club after five years.
“In his new role, Omar will help drive revenue growth that supports our ambition to win major trophies, while keeping supporters at the heart of everything we do,” Arsenal wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“This appointment reflects Omar’s leadership, expertise and contribution to Arsenal’s progress, and marks an exciting step as we continue to build for the future.”
Former sports reporter joins President Donald Trump’s press team
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry has swapped sports broadcasting for politics, joining the US Department of State as a press advisor.
McHenry started the Washington-based role this month, with her responsibilities including handling press enquiries, working with the department’s Global Public Affairs operation and developing communications strategies around State Department initiatives.
The appointment is a significant change of direction for McHenry, who has spent much of her career working on camera across sports and news.
She joined ESPN in 2014 and covered sports including American football and baseball before leaving the broadcaster in 2017. McHenry worked with Fox News, while more recently contributing to Real America’s Voice and The Spectator.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, McHenry said she was “beyond excited to start this new chapter” after 17 years working in on-air news roles.
“Now, I get to take that experience and apply it to our country’s highest diplomatic agency,” she added.
Aryna Sabalenka named global ambassador for Moroccanoil
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has added another commercial partnership to her portfolio, being named a global brand ambassador for haircare company Moroccanoil.
In the role, the tennis star will lead global campaigns for the brand and collaborate on content.
Moroccanoil has worked closely with tennis before, with the company serving as official haircare sponsor of the Miami Open. However, it is looking to make use of the athlete’s following in its new partnership.
“When I feel good, I can focus on what I do best,” she said. “That’s why this partnership is so exciting for me – it feels authentic.”
Moroccanoil SVP of Global Marketing Marina Kirschner said Sabalenka’s “global influence” aligned with the company’s ambition to reach communities around the world.
The deal has attracted some criticism online due to Moroccanoil’s Israeli ownership, with the brand part of the Israeli companies targeted by pro-Palestinian boycott campaigns.
Celtic appoints Mark Keane and Raymond Buchanan to board
Celtic has appointed Mark Keane and Raymond Buchanan as Non-Executive Directors, announcing the new hires today (18 September).
Keane joins with immediate effect, while Buchanan will take up the position after completing his current role as director of corporate affairs at Scottish Water.
The appointments fill vacancies created by the retirements of Peter Lawwell and Tom Allison, with Interim Chairman Brian Wilson confirming that further board changes are planned.
Keane is the founder of Scotland-based family investment office Slievemore and has more than 25 years’ experience across property investment, development and retail. He is also a significant Celtic shareholder and lifelong supporter.
Buchanan has experience working in communications and corporate affairs, having previously held senior positions at SSE and Weir, following an earlier broadcasting career with the BBC.
“Our two new directors have excellent credentials, both as lifelong Celtic supporters and highly successful individuals in their professional careers,” said Wilson.
“They will bring new ideas and insights to enhance the work of the board, its oversight of the club’s affairs and strengthening of relationships within the whole Celtic Family.”
Snapshot moves:
- PGA Tour has added Tyler Rutstein as Chief Marketing Officer, Mike Mahar as Chief Technology Officer and John Fizer as SVP of Investor Relations.
- Alpine has hired former Mercedes technical chief Mike Elliott as Chief Technical Officer.
- DAZN has appointed Patrick Delany as Chief Operating Officer, Alex Gersh as Chief Financial Officer and Darren Waterman as Chief Business Officer, while Felix Krause will succeed Alice Mascia as CEO of its DACH business in January 2027.
- Lucy Bronze has become a shareholder and brand ambassador at Manchester-based women’s football retailer Foudys, investing in the business ahead of next summer’s Women’s World Cup.
- Aberdeen FC has appointed former FA executive Adrian Bevington as Chief Executive, joining immediately after previous senior roles with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
- The International Paralympic Committee has confirmed CEO Mike Peters PLY will step down on 30 September after seven years in the role, with Deputy CEO Kristina Molloy becoming Interim CEO from 1 October.
We’re spotlighting the movers and shakers shaping the sports business every Friday.
Submit your people moves to Insider Sport’s Editor, Louis Thompsett, at [email protected] to be featured in the next edition of Sideline Moves.
Catch up on last week’s Sideline Moves, which led with the news that Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the 2026 season.
