Wasserman hires PE exec to drive M&A strategy

Global agency giant Wasserman has announced it has hired private equity executive Steve Murray as EVP of mergers & acquisitions and strategy.

Murray joins Wasserman from Providence Equity Partners, where he was a principal on the company’s investment team. He spent 12 years at Providence, including a stint at the company’s London office, and brings extensive experience in the sports, music and entertainment industries.

The international touring business’ ties with PE are continuing to strengthen, with a number of the world’s biggest companies now wedded to that world. Providence recently sold festival behemoth Superstruct to American global investment firm KKR in a €1.3 billion deal. Earlier this month, meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that three of the prospective buyers for ticketing and event discovery platform Dice are private equity firms.

While at Providence, Murray helped lead the firm’s strategic investment into Wasserman in November 2022, which provided growth capital for the company’s next phase of expansion. Wasserman has completed over 20 acquisitions since 2020, including eight since Providence’s investment.

“Steve’s nearly 15 years of experience sourcing, structuring and executing highly complex and transformative transactions, paired with his deep knowledge of the sports, music and entertainment industries globally, are a perfect match for our business as we look to accelerate our pace of acquisition in this next leg of our growth,” says Wasserman chief financial officer Elena Rochelli. “Steve will play a leading role in Wasserman’s growth strategy moving forward, and we expect his firsthand experience working closely with our company over these past couple years to allow for a uniquely smooth transition.”

“I am eager to contribute to our next phase of growth and pursue new M&A opportunities to expand Wasserman’s services, capabilities, and geographic presence”

Murray, who worked in the M&A group for Citi prior to Providence, was pivotal in two “transformative” deals for Wasserman in late 2023: CSM Sport & Entertainment and entertainment management and production company Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

“I’m excited to formally join Wasserman and be a part of such a talented team,” says Murray. “I am eager to contribute to our next phase of growth and pursue new M&A opportunities to expand Wasserman’s services, capabilities, and geographic presence. There is a tremendous opportunity to advance M&A and growth across the company, and I look forward to helping drive this future success.”

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wasserman operates globally across 27 countries and more than 62 cities, including New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico City, Toronto, Paris and Sydney.

The company formed booking agency Wasserman Music in 2021 following the completion of its acquisition of Paradigm’s North American live music business. It went on to acquire Paradigm UK’s live music business the following year.

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