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USTA Names Harlan Stone CBMO

White Plains, N.Y. — The USTA today named Harlan Stone its Chief Business and Marketing Officer, a new position created by the USTA in the wake of an internal reorganization. Under this new structure, all sponsorship, marketing and communications for professional and community tennis will report into Stone. Stone will continue to report to USTA Executive Director & COO Gordon Smith.

“Over the past year, the USTA has begun to combine business units to create more integrated functions for its historic community and professional tennis functions,” said Smith. “This new structure is a further step along the path to creating a fully integrated and cross-functional culture at the USTA. Harlan’s aptitude and leadership in all aspects of sports business, from sponsorship, to marketing, to new business, broadcast and program development, will ensure that the USTA remains one of this industry’s innovative leaders.”

For the past year, Stone has served as the Chief Marketing Officer, Pro Tennis for the USTA. The USTA will now combine all marketing, advertising and promotional areas into one overall unit that will now report to Stone. Additionally, the USTA Communications department, which had been combined in 2009, will now report to Stone.

The USTA will also use Stone’s strong relationships with many of its existing and potential key business and industry partners to ensure a smooth transition in this organizational restructuring. All USTA sponsorship efforts, including the US Open, Olympus US Open Series, and all recreational and community tennis programs will be led by Stone.

Stone’s long career in the sports marketing industry began in the early 1980’s when he launched his own agency which promoted a number of successful “Legends” tennis events in the Northeast. After working for the NY Times Magazine Group as the head of Golf Digest/Tennis Sports, Stone was a partner at Advantage International (later re-named Octagon) from 1987-2000, and served as President of its marketing unit from 1994-2000. In 2000 he was named CEO of Momentum Worldwide (the promotional arm of McCann Erickson) and remained in that position until becoming a partner at Velocity Sports and Entertainment from 2002-2007. Just prior to joining the USTA, Stone served as President, Major League Gaming Properties. In this role, he was in charge of all business affairs including revenue and marketing for the new digital sports league.

Stone, 52, is a resident of Darien, Conn., where he lives with his wife and three children. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he captained the varsity tennis team.

Posted on January 11, 2010
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