UFC and WWE parent TKO Group Holdings has appointed Dean Garfield as SVP of Government Affairs.
In the newly created position, he will play a key role in the company’s activities globally. TKO has been in expansion mode, staging events and swinging media rights deals in a range of countries. He will report to to Seth Krauss, Chief Administrative Officer & Senior Counsel to the Board of Directors and Senior Management.
Garfield comes to TKO from Netflix, where he spent six years as a member of the senior management team, serving as VP of Public Policy. Prior to joining Netflix, Garfield was CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council; EVP and Chief Strategic Officer for the Motion Picture Association; and VP of legal affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America.
“Dean’s extensive public policy experience will be integral to supercharging TKO’s government relations strategy, including strengthening our engagement with governments to bring our marquee events to fans in all regions of the world,” Krauss said. “Our existing international partnerships with Western Australia, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia, as well as domestically with Minnesota, New Jersey, and California, demonstrate the significant demand for our properties’ live events, and we expect, with Dean’s leadership, to expand our growth in this area.”
Garfield will lead a team responsible for public policy initiatives and political engagement, as well as supporting TKO’s subsidies and incentives efforts.
“I am excited to be joining TKO and for the opportunity to share with governments what we know to be true: People all around the world view sports and live entertainment as central to their lives, to building community, and to delivering economic impact,” Garfield said.
Garfield was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and was re-appointed by President Donald Trump. He was also appointed to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation.
