April 27: Blue Hen Leaders in Sport
UD alums who are leaders in sport industry to speak on campus
8:46 a.m., April 20, 2016--Three University of Delaware alumni who are leaders in the sport industry will visit campus this month to conduct an open forum.
Lisa Murray, David Yates and Lauren Tietjen will conduct a panel discussion and respond to questions beginning at 3 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, in 115 Purnell Hall.
Events Stories
June 5: Blue Hen 5K
June 6-9: Food and culture series
Tim DeSchriver, associate professor of sport management in UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, developed the idea for the event with Murray to provide UD students, faculty, staff and community members with exposure to sport industry leaders.
Murray is executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Octagon, which she has helped become the recognized global leader in sports and entertainment marketing during her 26-year tenure.
As CMO, Murray oversees all marketing and communications for the Octagon brand worldwide and leads the firm’s marketing best practices development and deployment. She is responsible for driving cross-border growth of existing clients while leveraging her expertise across the largest global sports properties, including the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup.
Murray continues to be a sought-after resource on international and domestic sports properties for Octagon’s long-standing corporate clients, including Johnson and Johnson, Allstate and Cisco.
Murray’s leadership extends across the Octagon Sports and Entertainment Network, including Octagon, FRUKT and Rogers and Cowan.
Murray was named to the Sporting News’ annual Power 100 list, and was selected one of SportsBusiness Journal’s top 20 most influential women in the industry and an inaugural SportsBusiness Journal Game Changer.
Murray graduated from UD in 1980 with a degree in economics.
Yates, managing director of Octagon’s golf division, brings over 27 years of experience in sales, sales management and business development to the agency.
Yates personally managed the careers of some of professional golf’s top players as senior vice president at Gaylord Sports Management (GSM) for 13 years. Prior to joining GSM, Yates spent 15 years as a vice president at IMG.
Serving on the late Mark McCormack’s executive advisory committee, Yates was the recruiting coordinator for IMG Golf globally and managed the careers of major winners Mark Calcavecchia, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price, Hal Sutton and Ian Baker-Finch, among others.
One of the organizers of the Golf Coaches Association of America, Yates served as the director of golf at the United States Military Academy, Stanford University and the University of Oklahoma. Yates was appointed chairman of the NCAA Golf Committee in 1985.
As a first team NCAA Division I baseball All-American at the University of Delaware, Yates was selected in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
He earned a bachelor of science in business administration from UD in 1971 and a bachelor of science and master of science in physical education in 1974.
Tietjen is the global communications director for Octagon.
She is responsible for extensive brand and consumer marketing, public relations, client management, media buying and campaign development experience.
This is Tietjen’s second stint with Octagon. In between employment with Octagon, she spent three years working for the NBC Sports Group as the director of marketing and partnerships.
She is a 2001 graduate of the UD with a degree in English and journalism.
About Octagon
Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, lifestyle marketing and talent representation agency of the Interpublic Group.
Founded in 1983, Octagon develops innovative marketing strategies to keep clients one step ahead of the ever-changing consumer and industry landscape. In what has become a multibillion-dollar business, Octagon is a leader in sports marketing, talent representation, event management, entertainment marketing, and research.
Its offering of client services includes both traditional and leading-edge platforms including experiential marketing, mobile marketing and cause-related marketing.