AEG promotes Kate Sheets to newly formed position

AEG Global Partnerships has promoted Kate Sheets to the newly formed position of senior vice president, strategy and business affairs.

Sheets joins the Global Partnerships team having most recently served as VP, legal counsel for AEG. Acting as an internal agency for AEG, Global Partnerships oversees worldwide sales and activation for over 130 world-class platforms across five continents and numerous other assets, including venues, sports franchises, events, tours, festivals and digital content among other AEG holdings.

Sheets will continue to work out of AEG’s Los Angeles office and will report to Nick Baker and Russell Silvers, co-chief operating officers of AEG Global Partnerships.

AEG says that, in the new and expanded role, Sheets will lead efforts to identify, cultivate and refine key partnerships and strategic initiatives, ensuring that they contribute to the overall growth targets and key priorities of AEG Global Partnerships.

Working closely with business leaders within Global Partnerships and across the global AEG enterprise, she will be responsible for providing strategic counsel and insight into all major revenue growth initiatives for the division and she will also help set the vision and strategy for the optimisation of partner campaigns and content.

Having structured and negotiated multi-asset sponsorship agreements on a local and global scale in her previous roles at AEG, she will be integrally involved in helping grow and advance the global deal-making strategies, new business opportunities and annual revenues generated by GP.

“A gifted dealmaker and business strategist, she has been instrumental in helping us bring our strategic vision to life”

“Kate has been an invaluable asset to our company having provided strategic insight and legal counsel across virtually every facet of AEG’s global business, including having led legal negotiations on behalf of our Global Partnerships division for some of the largest revenue-generating assets within our company’s portfolio,” says Nick Baker, COO of AEG Global Partnerships.

“A gifted dealmaker and business strategist, she has been instrumental in helping us bring our strategic vision for key partnerships to life and we know that her leadership, integrity, and work ethic combined with her ability to successfully navigate our multi-faceted global business landscape will make her a priceless addition to our Global Partnerships team.”

Sheets joined AEG in 2016 as a member of the AEG Legal Department, where she started as legal counsel and was later promoted to VP, legal counsel. Over the last six years, she has been responsible for advising AEG’s executive management on key business and legal matters, as well as handling a wide range of general corporate and contractual issues, most of which were centred around supporting the day-to-day operations of one of the many stadiums, arenas and entertainment complexes or professional sports franchises that AEG owns or manages.

She has also worked extensively with the Global Partnerships team helping secure lucrative deals for AEG owned franchises (Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Galaxy), events (Nike 3on3 Basketball Tournament, All-Star Chef Classic) and arenas (Crypto.com Arena, L.A. LIVE, Dignity Health Sports Park), including multi-million-dollar founding partnerships and naming rights arrangements with major brands.

Most recently she led all legal negotiations for the record-breaking 20-year Crypto.com Arena naming rights agreement which Global Partnerships brokered on behalf of AEG. The landmark deal is worth over $700 million making it the single largest naming rights agreement in the history of the sports industry to date.

“Kate has demonstrated excellence and leadership in every project and initiative she’s overseen since joining AEG six years ago,” says Russell Silvers, COO, AEG Global Partnerships. “She has consistently applied her legal expertise and strategic insight to drive innovation as well as new business opportunities for the company and we are thrilled to have her expand both her role and impact on Global Partnerships with this new position.”

Prior to joining AEG, Sheets spent close to three years as an associate at Proskauer Rose LLP in Los Angeles. While there, she focused on large-scale mergers and acquisitions and securities matters for public and private companies. Sheets began her legal career at Foley & Lardner LLP in Los Angeles as a member of the firm’s Transactional & Securities and Sports Industry Teams.

“AEG Global Partnerships has continually proven itself as an industry leader. I look forward to working with the rest of our team to drive growth through innovative and purposeful partnerships that both deliver value to our clients and meet their strategic goals,” says Sheets.

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