LIV Golf has announced that Lawrence J Burian has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO) after a competitive international recruiting process. As COO, Burian will oversee a wide range of responsibilities including, corporate development and strategy, the successful delivery of LIV Golf’s global schedule of 14 LIV Golf League events, the management and commercialisation of the league’s teams, the full integration of the International Series, investor relations, global impact and sustainability, events, production, information technology, human resources, procurement, and general day-to-day business operations.
As a former Executive Vice President with the Madison Square Garden family of public companies, Burian has extensive experience across the sports, entertainment, media and hospitality sectors. During his more than a decade of simultaneous service to MSG Sports Corporation, MSG Entertainment Corporation and MSG Networks, Inc, Burian worked closely with each company’s Board of Directors and executive management teams to lead significant corporate and strategic transactions and initiatives that strengthened the group’s portfolio of businesses and built long-term shareholder value.
A selection of MSG companies include the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL), two MSG regional sports networks (with broadcast rights to seven professional sports franchises), the famed MSG arena and other high-profile entertainment venues. Burian served in multiple executive roles across the portfolio of assets, including as head of Corporate Development, General Counsel and as a member of the board of directors of multiple strategic joint ventures.
“Lawrence is a proven leader and a proven winner, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on our executive leadership team,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “After more than two years of breaking moulds and pushing boundaries, LIV Golf is on the precipice of significant growth. Lawrence’s decades of business experience are exactly what we need to keep us competitive and moving forward.”
Before joining MSG, Burian worked for a decade at Cablevision Systems Corporation, the former cable, media, sports and entertainment parent company of the MSG businesses. There Burian played an instrumental role in many of the company’s strategic transactions and initiatives, including the spin-off of The Madison Square Garden Company, the acquisitions of the Sundance Channel and the Newsday Media Group, and the sales of the Fox Sports New England and Fox Sports Bay Area regional sports networks and the Bravo television network.
“I am excited to join LIV Golf as Chief Operating Officer and look forward to harnessing my more than two decades of senior executive experience to help build on the progress and momentum that is well underway,” said Burian. “The creation of a new global sports league in less than two years was nothing short of extraordinary and now is the time to capitalise and build on that success. LIV Golf has a very bright future as we seek to continue growing the game of golf, engaging new audiences, enhancing the guest experience, innovating our event and media production and building franchise value, all while creating a compelling home for our world-class athletes. I’m committed to working with my talented colleagues at LIV Golf towards achieving our ambitious goals.”
Burian holds a doctorate of juris prudence from the Yale Law School and received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Yeshiva University in New York. Burian is an active leader in numerous not-for-profit organisations.
Main image: LIV Golf
