LIV Golf has announced the appointment of former PepsiCo senior executive Adam Harter as its new Chief Marketing Officer.
In the role, Harter will report to CEO Greg Norman, and he will be responsible for leading all marketing activities as the circuit continues to establish itself at the top of the men’s game.
His responsibilities will include developing the league and team brands and growing the size and engagement of the global fan base - two areas crucial to that aim.
Harter certainly has an impressive background. He had more than 22 years of experience at PepsiCo, while his most recent role at the company was as senior vice president of Media, Sports & Entertainment where he helped broker deals with the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB with athletes including LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Among his other achievements, he led the entitlement for the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, collaborating with musicians including Jay-Z and Beyonce, while he also forged partnerships through the production of 2018 feature film Uncle Drew.
Following the appointment, Harter said: “I’m thrilled to join LIV Golf at a dynamic period in the league’s history and the history of the sport. LIV Golf is already well known for its groundbreaking innovations for golf and driving global fan and partner engagement that is unique in the sports landscape.
“I can’t wait to build on LIV’s early success and continue developing global league and team brands that will be recognized around the world. LIV Golf’s future is extremely bright, and the opportunities are endless.”
Norman added: “Adam brings a unique, world-class set of skills and experience that will bolster LIV Golf’s ongoing work and create incredible new opportunities to develop our league and team brands.
“The addition of executives like Adam will help expand and deliver on the league’s long-term goals as we continue to reach fans across the world in new and exciting ways. We’re building a strong foundation of leading professionals dedicated to growing our league. We are proud of our many accomplishments thus far, but the best is yet come.”
The appointment comes after Norman told Bloomberg that LIV Golf would still be in operation “well past” the death of its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The Australian said: “The LIV Golf juggernaut is still rolling on. I’m just going to answer as the CEO of LIV. My boss told me LIV is not going to go anywhere. It will be well and truly in operation, running well past his death – he’s a young guy.”
The future of the men’s elite game remains uncertain with the Saudi Public Investment Fund that finances LIV Golf still negotiating with the PGA Tour on a way for the organizations to co-exist.
However, after Norman’s latest confident claims and the appointment of Harter, regardless of the outcome of those discussions, LIV Golf doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.
