Sphere Entertainment made a big move this week by naming former Google executive Jennifer Koester as president, Sphere Business Operations. The move will take effect on Feb. 5.
Koester will be based in New York and report directly to James Dolan. Dolan is the chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, which falls under the Madison Square Garden umbrella.
Koester has had executive-level experience in the sales, marketing, technology, digital business and legal counsel realms over the last 25 years. She most recently served as the managing director of Americas strategic alliances, global partnerships at Google Commercial Operations. Prior to that, the industry veteran was the director of telecommunications and video distributors, global partnerships at Google.
This move comes with interesting timing.
Sphere Entertainment Co. is expected to release a new earnings report next month. Questions continue to loom about financial stability with an update on the horizon.
Might the addition of Koester correlate to the monetary numbers that may soon become public? We will have to wait and see. Either way, her role will be crucial when it comes to growth in the coming year.
We have seen a strong worldwide reaction to Sphere from customers, brands and artists since our September opening, and we look forward to leveraging Jennifer’s extensive background driving growth at premier technology and entertainment brands as we continue to build our Sphere business.
— James Dolan
Koester will work closely with executive leadership to “grow the Sphere businesses, including maximizing the calendar and ticket sales; driving strategic partnerships with artists, managers, promoters and others in the live entertainment space; and developing a corporate conference business for product launches and other events.” That description is also interesting, because the Sphere is reportedly struggling to secure residencies despite the viral nature of its venue.
It sounds like Koester will be focused, at least in part, on changing that narrative.
Throughout my career, I have focused on pioneering and delivering growth strategies that bridge business needs and leverage new technologies, and I am excited to bring that experience to Sphere.
— Jennifer Koester
Regardless of the reason behind the move, it’s a big one. Dolan, MSG and Sphere made it abundantly clear that they are not messing around with the hire. They are focused on growth in 2024 and are hoping that Koester will be a catalyst!