World TeamTennis, the innovative professional team tennis league co-founded by Billie Jean King, announced the selection of Chris Renner as the Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The announcement was made today by WTT co-owners King, Fred Luddy, and Mark Ein.
“Chris is a highly capable and proven CEO, uniquely suited to lead WTT in its next phase of growth and we are thrilled that he has joined the company,“ said King, who co-founded the League in the 1970s. “Chris‘ extensive track record of creating value, driving innovation and scaling innovative companies in the professional sports industry will be critical as WTT rides the unstoppable wave of digital media. Our goal going forward is to serve our existing and future team owners and sponsors, but also to promote and celebrate our wonderful and talented team players on WTT.tv, our new internet TV digital streaming platform. There is nobody better to help us get there than Chris.“
Renner succeeds long-time WTT CEO Ilana Kloss who will retain the role of WTT Commissioner at least through the end of the 2018 season. Renner joins WTT after more than a decade of directing Helios Partners, a leading international sports marketing consulting company. Over the years, he has developed a strong international background and a successful track record in marketing some of the world‘s biggest sporting events. As director of the marketing programs for sports as diverse as the Olympics, Asian Games, and the ATP Tennis Masters Series, Renner has worked and delivered on projects in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Renner, who will be based in Southern California, has also consulted numerous sports rights holders, including the Women‘s Tennis Association, Major League Baseball and Arsenal Football Club, as well as Olympic sponsors Lenovo, Samsung, Volkswagen and Snickers.
“I am honored to lead WTT,“ said Renner. “World TeamTennis has been one of the original disruptors in the world of professional sports for 43 years. Thanks to Billie Jean, WTT is well-positioned to bring WTT‘s unique brand of fun and competitive tennis to a broad audience. Leveraging the tremendous power and reach of digital media, my goal is to transform WTT into a leading sports property that will make highly-competitive tennis more accessible to tennis fans around the world, and to help our existing and future teams grow and succeed.“
“Chris is just the right person for this new and exciting digital era,“ said Fred Luddy, WTT co-owner. “Chris has tremendous vision and will oversee WTT‘s transformation to a pioneer in digital sports media on WTT.tv.“
“Chris is an experienced leader who has an impressive record of developing and delivering impactful partnerships,“ said WTT co-owner and Chairman Mark Ein. “He understands the sports landscape, and he will play an integral role in team expansion efforts and building on our sponsorship portfolio.“
The 43rd season of World TeamTennis presented by GEICO runs July 15-August 2, with the top two teams advancing to the WTT Finals on August 5. This season, all WTT matches will be available to view free on the league‘s new digital live streaming platform, WTT.tv presented by GEICO.
Media Contact: Rosie Crews, WTT (rcrews@wtt.com) PH: 817-684-0366
