Steve Sayer Announced as Vice President & General Manager, The O2
Danielle Kennedy-Clark promoted to Deputy General Manager, The O2
Gavin Brind appointed Finance Director, The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley
The O2, the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue, today announced the appointment of Steve Sayer as Vice President and General Manager and Danielle Kennedy-Clark as Deputy General Manager. Currently in the roles of Commercial Director and Operations Director (respectively), their promotions follow the recent appointment of John Langford (formerly VP & GM, The O2) to Chief Operating Officer, AEG Europe.
Also announced today is the appointment of Gavin Brind to the role of Finance Director for The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley, replacing Paul Reeve who was recently announced as the new Chief Financial Officer, AEG Europe.
John Langford said of the new team appointments: “I’m delighted to be announcing that Steve, Danielle and Gavin will be leading The O2 from January. Their combined experience in managing this incredible venue, working alongside the senior leadership team means that the world’s busiest arena will continue to flourish.”
Steve Sayer joined The O2 in 2014 as Commercial Director, overseeing ticketing operations, merchandising, food and beverage and corporate sales along with securing exhibition content and overseeing Up at The O2, the roof walk attraction over the venue. In addition Steve worked closely with the AEG Europe leadership team to manage a number of capital improvement projects to ensure that The O2 continues to be recognised as the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue.
Prior to joining AEG Europe, who own and operate The O2, Steve was Operations Director for Manchester City Football Club and was responsible for the match day and major event operations. As General Manager, Steve will lead the Senior Leadership team at The O2, with a focus on all aspects of venue management across the busy campus, improving the experience for customers and driving continued commercial growth.
Commenting on his appointment Steve said: “The O2 continues to set the benchmark for the music and entertainment industry in every respect. I’m excited to be leading the venue as we further develop the customer experience and our programme, finding new ways to delight the millions of fans who visit The O2 every year”.
Danielle Kennedy-Clark has worked at The O2 since 2010 when she joined as Venue Manager, responsible for driving the events and operations teams, before being promoted to Operations Director in 2017. She has worked for AEG for 11 years with roles at the David Beckham Academy located on the Greenwich Peninsula before moving to The O2. In the new role Danielle will be responsible for all site-wide operations including security, event delivery, and food and beverage operations, working closely with catering partners Levy Restaurants.
Commenting on her appointment Danielle said: “The O2 is a truly unique and incredible venue, and I’m proud to be taking on the new role of Deputy General Manager. We have a fantastic team making every event a success, and I’m looking forward to continuing our focus on delivering unforgettable experiences for all visitors to this iconic location.”
Gavin Brind is currently the Deputy Finance Director, a role he took on in 2017. He joined AEG in 2012 and as the Head of Commercial Finance has led all financial and commercial business partnering activities for The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley. Prior to joining AEG Gavin held finance roles in media and retail including at HMV and Channel 4.
Commenting on the appointment Gavin said: “I am looking forward to working alongside Steve, Danielle and the talented management team as we continue to drive the financial and commercial success of The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley”
Since opening in 2007 The O2 has been voted the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue for 10 consecutive years, and alongside the 21,000 capacity arena, the iconic tented structure also houses indigo at The O2 and roof walk; Up at The O2, along with a bowling alley, multi-screen cinema, trampoline park and restaurants.
This year, The O2 has seen a huge transformation with the opening of ICON Outlet - the 210,000 sq. ft. premium urban outlet which brings shopping to the venue for the first time. Together with the construction of a 50,000 sq. ft. cinema extension and a 30,000 sq. ft. trampoline park - Oxygen Freejumping - The O2’s offering is evolving to reflect the consumer-led convergence of retail, leisure and entertainment.
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About The O2
The O2 is the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue. Since opening in 2007, it has been visited by more than 70 million people and in 2017 was named Pollstar ‘International Venue of the Year’ for the tenth time. In addition to the arena, The O2 is also home to indigo at The O2, a live performance space; Up at The O2, a guided walk across the tented roof; ICON Outlet, London’s new premium outlet shopping destination; a vast multi-screen Cineworld complex; the 12-lane boutique Hollywood Bowl; an Oxygen Freejumping trampoline park; The Avenue, which features 26 bars and restaurants and ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’, an immersive theatrical and dining experience opening in summer 2019.
About AEG Europe
Headquartered in London, AEG Europe is a subsidiary of AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. In Europe, AEG owns or operates sports and music facilities and entertainment districts across the continent including The O2, and The SSE Arena, Wembley in London; Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg; Mercedes Platz in Berlin; Stockholm Live in Stockholm; and AccorHotels Arena in Paris. Through its Global Partnerships division, AEG delivers corporate brands the largest sports and live music marketing network in the world. AEG’s music division, AEG Presents is a global leader in concert promotion and venue management, running European music festivals; Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park, All Points East and Rock en Seine.