Legends hires Tom Funk as president, hospitality
Global premium experiences company Legends, which recently acquired venue management giant ASM Global, has appointed Tom Funk as president, hospitality.
Funk brings more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry to his new role, having operated within every venue type and held leadership roles with Levy, Aramark, and Delaware North. He joins Legends from Compass Group, where he has served as EVP of its largest sector, Compass One Healthcare, since 2021. Previously, Funk spent nearly a decade at Levy, including six years as EVP and COO for the global hospitality business.
His appointment comes as Legends’ longtime president of hospitality Dan Smith moves into a new role as a senior advisor.
“The incredible growth and success of Legends’ hospitality business is attributed to Dan’s leadership and guidance since day one. We are grateful for his immeasurable contributions over the past 15 years,” says Legends CEO Shervin Mirhashemi.
“As we continue to focus on growing the business and delivering first-class hospitality experiences for our partners, we are fortunate to have Tom take the reins and lead this next phase. Tom’s stellar reputation as an innovator and operator and his experience growing global platforms ensures he is the right leader for the future.”
“Food & beverage and merchandise play a critical role in delivering an exceptional fan and guest experience”
Founded in 2008, Legends is backed by global investment firm Sixth Street. The company’s fully integrated retail and merchandising vertical solution spans e-commerce, in-venue retail, large-scale live events, brick-and-mortar store operations, licensing and customer merchandise.
Its clients include prestigious brands such as Real Madrid, SoFi Stadium, Dallas Cowboys, FC Barcelona, New York Yankees, and Ryder Cup, as well as the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA of America and FIFA World Cup.
“I am thrilled and humbled to be joining the incredibly talented team at Legends,” says Funk. “I have been very fortunate in my career to work with many of the best in the hospitality and sports and entertainment industry, Dan Smith and the entire Legends organisation sit firmly in that group. They have built an amazing business poised for growth.
“Food & beverage and merchandise play a critical role in delivering an exceptional fan and guest experience, and we have a significant responsibility to represent our partners’ brands in the best way possible. I’m excited to continue to evolve and grow our capabilities to ensure we do this, while also providing innovative concepts and solutions that will deliver great outcomes for our partners.”
Legends’ reputed $2.4 billion deal to acquire ASM Global and create a premium global live events company was announced in November. Current ASM equity holders AEG and Ondex will sell their ownership interests as part of the agreement, while ASM will continue to serve existing and in-development AEG venues.
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