LIV Golf today announced the official hires of five team General Managers who bring decades of leadership and business experience across the sports, entertainment and media industries. Each team’s General Manager role will manage the operational and strategic aspects of their teams, including daily operations, sponsorship sales, marketing, and player relations.
Boasting extensive backgrounds from baseball, golf, tennis, and esports, these leaders will focus on leveraging their experience to set strategic direction and build sustained growth and long-term success, both on and off the course. On par with LIV Golf’s mission to grow the game globally, these new leaders represent five different countries – Australia, Korea, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States.
Jonas Mårtensson, the former CEO of Mojang Studios – creator of the best-selling video game, Minecraft – joins Cleeks GC, captained by two-time major champion Martin Kaymer. Former Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and Gen.G Esports executive Martin E. Kim takes the reins of Iron Heads GC, captained by Kevin Na.
Long-time SPORTFIVE Senior Vice President of Golf Jeff Koski steers the league’s first expansion team, Legion XIII, captained by two-time major champion Jon Rahm. Following executive stints with ESPN, Yahoo!, IMG, and Untamed Planet, Nick Adams leads fellow Aussie Cam Smith’s Ripper GC. The all-South African Stinger GC, captained by Louis Oosthuizen, is headed up by fellow countryman Richard Glover, currently a Vice President at the ATP Tour.
“Attracting top industry talent not only brings a wealth of business acumen to the table but it is a testament to the long-term growth of LIV Golf,” says LIV Golf’s Executive Vice President, Head of Team Business Operations Katie O’Reilly. “We are committed to delivering a never-before-seen, best-in-class product to golf fans. Today’s news is the next step in realizing our franchise model. We look forward to watching our new team leaders flourish in our ecosystem, while focused on driving brand equity and franchise value in our 13 properties.”
MEET THE NEW HIRES
A mainstay in the business world, Mårtensson was the former CEO of Mojang Studios – the video game developer owned by Microsoft and known for producing the most-sold video game of all-time, Minecraft. Prior to spending nearly a decade at Mojang, Mårtensson began his entrepreneurial journey as co-founder of Swedish apparel brand Happy Socks as well as founder of Mobilebet.com. The Swede also has an extensive track record of serving on boards for businesses such as Finnair and XL Media.
“Golf has always been a significant part of my life, so it feels surreal to have the opportunity to combine my business expertise with my biggest passion,” says Mårtensson. “The transition from gaming to golf will be a fun challenge, and I look forward to leveraging my consumer facing experience in gaming and merchandise to help grow the Cleeks brand and fan engagement.”
Mårtensson’s primary vision for the franchise’s future includes building a globally recognizable brand, leaving a lasting legacy in the community, and developing a high-performing team that will create memorable moments for fans and partners.
Martin Kim joins Iron Heads GC having spent five years leading commercial revenue and strategic partnerships for Gen.G Esports, a world-renowned esports and gaming organization operating in the U.S., Korea, and China.
Prior to Gen.G, Kim spent eight years in professional baseball working for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball in multiple capacities, including corporate partnerships, international marketing, global events, and player management focused on the Asia-Pacific region.
“From the start, I was attracted to the long-term vision of LIV Golf. It was the opportunity to lead a founding franchise like the Iron Heads that sold me on the role,” says Kim. “I am thrilled to be a part of this new era of professional golf, with the goal of building the Iron Heads into a successful global franchise.”
Kim will focus on becoming an ambassador for LIV Golf, while making the Iron Heads into a fan-favorite organization across Asia. He will aim to leverage his experience in bringing Korean sponsorships to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball to help drive the team’s success and long-term commercial viability regionally and globally.
With a rich background in sports innovation and strategic growth from his tenure as Senior Vice President of Golf at SPORTFIVE, Jeff Koski has already been steering the newest LIV Golf League team, Legion XIII, to new heights this season, having stepped into the role back in January.
Koski has already made a significant impact since joining Legion XIII, playing an integral role in recruiting players and brokering two major team partnerships with Santander Bank and Maestro Dobel Tequila. Additionally, Legion XIII currently sits at No. 2 in the season-long standings, having hoisted a league-high four team titles.
In this role, Koski aims to set a strategy that directs Legion XIII towards sustained growth and long-term success, both on and off the course. His focus is on building a strong brand and a dedicated fanbase that drives commercial revenue, ultimately strengthening the Legion XIII brand into a globally recognized franchise.
“Being on the forefront of innovation in sport is exciting, and I am thrilled to play a small part in the future of golf,” says Koski. “Our team is dedicated to becoming the standard of professional team golf, setting the bar higher and higher both on and off the course.”
Joining Ripper GC, Nick Adams assumes the General Manager position for the Australian team, bringing a rich background in some of the world’s most renowned organizations, including ESPN, WME/IMG, Yahoo!, and Sony Music. During his eight-year tenure at ESPN in New York, the Australian native was instrumental in commercializing the X Games and various youth-driven content initiatives, playing a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the X Games.
As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at WME/IMG, Adams led a sales team that monetized high-profile events such as the Fortnite World Cup, UFC, Miami Open Tennis, and Frieze Art Fair. Formerly, the Australian native was the Chief Revenue Officer of Untamed Planet, a gaming-focused entertainment company dedicated to conservation.
“I am extremely excited to work within the LIV Golf organization to help further democratize the game of golf and grow the sport globally,” says Adams. “Given my Aussie heritage, I am driven to grow the game within our part of the world and build towards LIV Golf Adelaide each year. In my role as GM of the Rippers, I will endeavor to scale the community, the commercial ecosystem around the team, its talent and LIV.”
As General Manager of Ripper GC, Adams plans to focus on four business pillars to drive the team’s success including team support, community engagement, revenue and commercial efforts, and business affairs and investment. Through these key initiatives, he aims to build one-to-one relationships with fans globally and concentrate on establishing long-term partnerships to increase the team’s asset value over time.
Richard Glover brings over 20 years of expertise in sports management, strategic planning, and commercial delivery to his new role as the General Manager of Stinger GC, which he will assume in October. He currently serves as a Vice President at the ATP Tour, the global governing body for men’s professional tennis. In this capacity, Glover oversees special projects and the men’s professional player pathway with strategic, budgetary, and revenue responsibilities for the ATP Challenger Tour, which spans 46 countries.
Glover’s impressive career includes five years as the CEO of Tennis South Africa, where he led the organization through significant growth and development. His experience also spans roles with Frontiers Sport and Entertainment, Cricket South Africa, and Arsenal F.C., each of which has contributed to his robust understanding of sports operations and team management. His career is marked by a commitment to fostering athletic excellence and driving commercial success.
“Stinger GC is a team with a truly authentic South African heartbeat – down to earth and friendly, they love to have fun, while playing as hard as they can on the golf course,” says Glover. “I am excited to collaborate with Louis and the rest of the team to build Stinger GC into a sustainable sporting brand – one that has a global reach, whilst also maintaining a deep connection with South Africa.”
At Stinger GC, Glover will leverage his extensive background to drive team success, bringing a strategic vision and strong leadership presence to the South African franchise.
In an exciting showdown, these five Team GMs will see their teams square off, joining 8 other LIV Golf teams full of world-class players, at two thrilling year-end events: the LIV Golf Chicago Individual Championship from September 13-15, and the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship from September 20-22.
