Topgolf Names New COO of U.S. Venues, New CMO, and New Chief People Officer » Dallas Innovates

Genifer Gray, the new Chief Operating Officer of Topgolf Entertainment Group’s US Venues, Chief Marketing Officer Geoff Cottrill and Chief People Officer Kristi Maynor. [Photos: Topgolf Entertainment Group]

On Friday we reported on the appointment of former Topgolf COO Craig Kessler as the new CEO of Dallas’ Buff City Soap. Today Topgolf has taken some leadership steps of its own in order to scale up for further expansion.

A new COO of US venues

The Dallas-based global sports and entertainment company has named Genifer (Gen) Gray as Chief Operating Officer for Topgolf’s US venues. Gray served as Topgolf’s VP of Operations for the past three years, overseeing the day-to-day experience of Topgolf’s 65 US venues, including facility operations, catering programs, training and leadership development, and golf services.

Gray had previously joined Topgolf from Maggiano’s Little Italy, where she was Chief Operating Officer responsible for dozens of restaurants and thousands of employees. Gray succeeds Craig Kessler in her new role.

“It has been a privilege to be part of Topgolf’s growth journey over the past few years, fueled by our culture and unique experience,” Gray said in a statement. “We are in a great position as a company to grow and I am honored to lead our guest experience and our incredibly talented event teams.”

A new chief marketing officer

Topgolf has also hired Geoff Cottrill as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Cottrill joins the company after serving as director of marketing at Coca-Cola North America and previous positions in marketing leadership at Converse, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble and MullenLowe.

Cottrill, who was named one of BrandWeek’s Marketer of the Year, is on the advisory boards of several emerging music and technology companies. He recently joined the boards of Giving Kitchen and the Georgia Music Accord.

“It was remarkable to see how Topgolf has innovated and attracted new fans over the past decade, whether they are playing at a venue, on a Toptracer Range or online at WGT,” said Cottrill in the statement. “Joining the Topgolf team at such an exciting time for the brand is every marketer’s dream. I can’t wait to begin building on what your team has already done and advancing one of the great brand growth stories of our time. “

A new chief people officer

After her position as partner and Global Head of Consumer Practice at Egon Zehnder, a global management consultancy, Topgolf has appointed Kristi Maynor as the new Chief People Officer.

Maynor brings her leadership development, digital transformation, branding and customer focus experience to a number of industries – including restaurants, games, entertainment, retail, apparel and consumer products.

The new CPO believes their “guest first” mentality will help Topgolf continue to grow.

“The first thing you feel when you step onto a Topgolf is the energy of its people,” Maynor said. “I felt it when I visited venues as a guest and I felt it when I spoke to executives across the company. This is only possible because of the great team members who deliver this experience every day. “

The goal: continued rapid growth

All three will report to CEO Artie Starrs, who joined Topgolf earlier this year and is working on scaling his top team for further rapid expansion.

“The addition of Gen, Geoff and Kristi to our leadership team will help fuel our growth and drive innovation in our top golf venue, Toptracer and Topgolf Media,” Starrs said in the statement. “I have no doubt that they will help us further cement Topgolf as a leader in the sports and entertainment industry, focused on an unmatched guest experience and a unique team culture.”

Come on the list.
Dallas innovates every day.

Sign up to keep an eye on what’s new and what’s next in Dallas-Fort Worth every day.

CONTINUE READING

• There are many things you can do with your physically distant time. Here are a few from our curated selection.

• The hybrid event in August will take place in person at the SMU and virtually. The seventh annual Dallas Startup Week powered by Capital One is Dallas-Fort Worth’s largest event focused on promoting entrepreneurial success, economic impact and innovation in the region.

• Browse our curated selection of competitions, nominations, pitches, and scholarships. Our program summary is aimed at entrepreneurs, corporations, creatives, inventors, educators and social innovators. Don’t Miss: Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 Awards 2021 have been extended until July 9th.

• DMN and Bloomberg are among the top 150 public companies in the DFW; Thomson & Knight Completes Merger; The mayor of FW starts a new podcast; and more news from North Texas. You will also find our top 10 most popular stories.

• Nonprofit BUiLT is hosting the event to highlight the success and opportunities of black tech talent in the region. “There’s no problem with the talent pipeline,” says Peter Beasley, co-founder of Blacks United in Leading Technology International. “Black tech talent is rampant, especially in North Texas.”

[ad_1]