As Sportradar continues to blaze a path in the sports data intelligence segment, it’s adding some new firepower to its arsenal. The company, which is now found in all corners of the world, helping improve sports and sports gambling, announced yesterday that it has appointed Jeffery Yabuki as its Chairman of the Board. In the process, it has tapped a top executive leader with a solid background of business development and expansion that is going to help Sportradar continue to raise the bar for the entire sports industry.
Yabuki is the former CEO of financial services technology giant Fiserv, a position he held for 15 years before being bumped to Executive Chairman. Fiserv started as a regional company with a small workforce before growing into a global behemoth that enjoyed almost triple-digit growth and massive shareholder return under Yabuki’s guidance. The executive is also listed on the board of directors at both Bank of Canada and Ixonia Bancshares, Inc.
Speaking on his new role, Yabuki asserted in a statement, “As the leading global provider of sports data intelligence, Sportradar has achieved remarkable growth and is well positioned for the future in this evolving market. I am honored to join the Global Board to partner with Carsten and the incredibly talented Sportradar leadership team to create differentiated value at the intersection of sports entertainment and technology leadership.”
The new chairman was referring to Carsten Koerl, Sportradar’s Global CEO. In addition to now working with Koerl on a daily basis, Yabuki will also work alongside board members Hafiz Lalani, John Doran, Chuck Robel, Marc Walder, Hervé Couturier and George Fleet to drive the company forward. Sportradar continues to mold its global operations workforce after having enjoyed explosive success over the past couple of years, leading to the introduction of regional CEOs last month who will work under Koerl’s guidance to support the company’s continuing expansion. These three are Arne Rees, overseeing North American operations, Werner Becher, in charge of the U.K., Latin America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Eduard Blonk, tapped to spearhead Sportradar’s Asia Pacific activity.
Of Yabuki’s placement, Koerl added, “We are thrilled to welcome Jeff to the Sportradar team. His extraordinary leadership, strategic approach, and business acumen propelled Fiserv to become a global leader in financial services and payments technology. We look forward to having Jeff as Chairman of our Global Board of Directors as we continue to deliver unmatched experiences to our customers and partners and pursue transformative growth.”
