Sophie Goldschmidt Appointed as U.S. Ski & Snowboard President & CEO

[Philpug]

Sophie Goldschmidt Appointed as U.S. Ski & Snowboard President & CEO

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PARK CITY, Utah (Sept. 27, 2021) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the appointment of Sophie Goldschmidt as the organization’s next President and CEO. Goldschmidt will officially begin on October 18th, taking over from current President and CEO Tiger Shaw. Goldschmidt will be relocating from Los Angeles to Park City, Utah.

In her career, Goldschmidt has held numerous leadership, commercial and marketing roles with several of the world’s most well-known and prestigious organizations – most recently as CEO of the World Surf League (WSL). Prior to that, she held executive positions at the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Chime Sports Marketing (CSM), the PGA European Tour and Adidas. Goldschmidt is a proven leader who brings the unique experience of working closely with athletes across multiple sports from grassroots to the most elite levels, combined with a track record of positively transforming organizations from a business standpoint. Goldschmidt has been at the forefront of globalizing and innovating sports, media and entertainment properties throughout her career. She will bring a fresh perspective as athletes prepare for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

“I am thrilled to be the next leader of U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Goldschmidt. “My priority is to build on the organization’s strong foundations. To take the levels of performance to new heights, to grow the number of participants and fans we engage with, in addition to creatively unlocking new value and investment. I see significant opportunities to further develop the profiles of the seven sports and of the athletes, who are inspirational role models. I’m also looking forward to working with the staff, coaches, clubs, the broader snow sports community, other key stakeholders and partners. I’m an avid skier with a passion for snow sports, which really makes this a dream opportunity for me at the right time. I can’t wait to get going.”

Goldschmidt will be taking over for Tiger Shaw, who is stepping down from his position as President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard after eight years. Shaw will stay on to aid Goldschmidt during the transition and will subsequently join the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation Board as a Trustee focusing on athlete fundraising – a key priority of Shaw’s during his time at the organization.

As CEO of the WSL, Goldschmidt was responsible for transforming both the business capabilities and culture. During her tenure, she negotiated a historic 10-year agreement with the athletes, led the implementation of equal prize money for men and women, secured unprecedented levels of linear and digital distribution, including a first-of-its-kind Facebook partnership, in addition to record revenue performance. She also delivered the first-ever competitive events utilizing wave technology at the WSL’s Surf Ranch, relaunched the organization’s ocean health advocacy program WSL PURE and significantly raised the WSL’s profile globally.

As Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of the RFU, Goldschmidt was responsible for all of the union's revenue-generating areas and commercial programs, in addition to its marketing and digital communications. She was also Group Managing Director at CSM. In her time at the NBA as the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Goldschmidt helped spearhead the NBA's global expansion of its brand. Prior to the NBA, Goldschmidt served as a Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the WTA globally and she began her career at Adidas. Goldschmidt was also one of the first two female Board Members of the PGA European Tour. She has spent much of her career in the U.S. and attended Baylor University on a tennis scholarship.

“Sophie brings an invaluable level of tacit knowledge gained from her previous roles working with athletes and sports organizations,“ said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors Chair Kipp Nelson. “Sophie’s leadership, commercial and marketing experience, combined with her commitment to the athletes, made her the ideal candidate. Her ability to grow engagement and raise the global profile of athletes, teams and brands will directly benefit all U.S. Ski & Snowboard stakeholders.”

“I’d like to give Sophie a warm welcome to the organization, while at the same time thanking Tiger for everything he has done the last eight years,” said two-time Olympic champion and six-time World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin. “I am looking forward to this new era of leadership for all of our U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes as we head into this pivotal Beijing 2022 Olympic year. Based on what I’ve read, heard, as well as the interaction we’ve had thus far, I feel that Sophie’s commercial, marketing and sports organization experience is a unique blend of traits that will set us up for success strategically not only heading into the Olympics, but – perhaps more importantly – moving forward as we build the future of our sports and inspire the next generation of skiers and snowboarders.”

Goldschmidt’s appointment signals a commitment to U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, partners, members and fans. Her immediate efforts will focus on spending quality time with the athletes, other key stakeholders and business partners to fully immerse herself in all aspects of the sports and organization, while in parallel developing the key strategic priorities and plans for the next stage of the organization’s growth leading into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

“After a very comprehensive search, we could not be happier with the decision to select Sophie as U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s new President and CEO,” said U.S. Cross Country Ski Team alumna, 2018 Olympic gold medalist and executive search committee co-chair Kikkan Randall. “I am particularly excited about Sophie’s experience working directly with world-class athletes across a myriad of sports; she really understands how to put athletes at the forefront.”

Goldschmidt was also previously named one of Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sport, AdWeek’s Most Powerful Women in Sport, Sports Business Journal's Forty under Forty, Leaders in Sport Under 40 Award, Marketing Week’s Vision Award and Sport360 Most Influential Women in Sport.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Well, they definitely went outside the ski racing community with this one - and I hope it proves to be a positive move.

Interesting to see that Goldschmidt is starting in mid-October, as the originally voice plan from USSS was to have Tiger in charge until after the 2022 Winter Games. Seems that he'll be there to help but that the new CEO will be in control.

I like Goldschmidt's bona fides from other sports leagues, and the work she did at WSL seems to be in line with the challenges faced by USSS. Of course, it remains to be seen how well this translates to the winter sports world.

Also: I'm curious as to who she will being on board at the levels immediately below President/CEO. That will speak volumes.

 

[Average Joe]

I wonder if she knows how to ski?

 

[scott43]

Generally..if you want to run a business, you're better off with a business person. Gary Bettman can't skate I'm pretty sure..but he has crushed it as Commish for the NHL. President and Chief Executive Officer..not Chief Ski Instructor. And that probably pisses off the old-guard skiers who probably haven't done the best job because they aren't business folks. Give it a chance.

 

[Muleski]

We shall see. Strange hiring and decision making process, I hear. And I don’t think there will much shadowing of Tiger Shaw. That plan may be, in reality, getting “revisited.” She’s in the seat in three weeks. And is evidently adding staff, or in the process. I believe that Tiger wants out, and that she would like him out. Soon.

The place needs a lot. And yes, a leader with some strong organizational, strategic and for lack of another term “business” experience was needed. Keep in mind, Tiger had all of that.

But knowing a bit about the sport, let alond the disciplines seems important. That will be deep, fast, required learning.

My moles tell me that this was FAR from a unanimous, fully “all in” hire by the board. Kipp Nelson, the chair gets a very big vote. Same process as when Dexter Paine essentially hired Tiger into the job. The Chair has more currency…literally!

For those who thought Tiger was overpaid, and the budget bloated, hold on. Buckle up. Just a hunch.

I surely hope this proves to be a GREAT hire. It’s SO important.

 

[Average Joe]

Generally..if you want to run a business, you're better off with a business person. Gary Bettman can't skate I'm pretty sure..but he has crushed it as Commish for the NHL. President and Chief Executive Officer..not Chief Ski Instructor. And that probably pisses off the old-guard skiers who probably haven't done the best job because they aren't business folks. Give it a chance.

I hope that she immerses herself in the sport of ski racing and is successful.
All we have is her past track record to help judge, and she “moved on” from the last job after 32 months.
Lifetime sports need people who dedicate many, many years to learn the intricacies and develop invaluable institutional knowledge.
Her resume list of accomplishments reads like a PowerPoint before a TED talk presentation I’m hoping my skepticism is proven wrong.

 

[newboots]

In the article she describes herself: "I’m an avid skier with a passion for snow sports, which really makes this a dream opportunity for me at the right time."

She has also won several awards: "Goldschmidt was also previously named one of Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sport, AdWeek’s Most Powerful Women in Sport, Sports Business Journal's Forty under Forty, Leaders in Sport Under 40 Award, Marketing Week’s Vision Award and Sport360 Most Influential Women in Sport."

So, quoting Scott43:

Give it a chance

 

[scott43]

I just hope that people in the sport aren't blinded by the Old Boys Club mentality. Old school hockey people wanted to hang Gary Bettman when he was named commissioner of the NHL. A lawyer, imagine! And American!!! All kinds of doom scenarios... He's brought the game so far and the owners couldn't be happier with the value of the franchises.

Muleski knows more about US skiing than I'll ever know..probably most here do. We just shouldn't be blinded by "has to be a hard-core US ski guy" or "can't ski moguls" or whatever prejudices we may have.

 

[Muleski]

The last time around, the board chair, who basically ran the search and made the choice insisted that they hire a former USST skier, one who had skied on the World Cup, and was an Olympian.

Most wondered what on earth it had to do with running a non profit of this size. Not much. But, knowledge, particularly of the very political body, FIS, and of the intricacies of alpine ski racing {which drives the bus} is pretty essential.

Now she can hire a right hand or two to give her that knowledge and insight. No question. I believe we’ll see a hire as a #2.

She is in the seat. Best thing is to support her, and try to ensure success. I won’t get into any more. It sounds like a different process. She sold her candidacy well to the person with the biggest vote.

All that matters is that in three weeks she IS the CEO!

Thinking a “ski guy” can run this is foolish. It needs a real leader. With mgt and leadership experience. Some vision. And somebody with a strong backbone. Very tough decisions need to be made, IMO. Tough job.

Gender does not matter. Glad that the old boy network has broadened to include a woman CEO.

Her experience? Time will tell, I guess.

Onward! Much to accomplish.

 

[Mark1975]

I am taking the "wait and see" approach.

Like Muleski said, there is so much politics involved in U.S. ski racing that she may have never encountered in the past. Politics from FIS, each USSA division, individual academies and clubs, coaches, and individual ski areas that allow the training etc. It is like dealing with a heard of cats at this point. Hope she is up for that battle.

 

[Mark1975]

Generally..if you want to run a business, you're better off with a business person. Gary Bettman can't skate I'm pretty sure..but he has crushed it as Commish for the NHL. President and Chief Executive Officer..not Chief Ski Instructor. And that probably pisses off the old-guard skiers who probably haven't done the best job because they aren't business folks. Give it a chance.

True, but the NHL is a different animal than U.S. ski racing. All the NHL owners are on the same page...maximize revenue for the league. This benefits the players too. More league revenue = bigger pay checks for them. The U.S. ski team is limited to skimming off what talent may or may not be out there and in the big picture, they have almost no control how that talent may or may not be developed.

 

[river-z]

I watch a fair amount of surfing and while I have no insight at all into how Sophie G operates the business side of things I can tell you that the fan experience improved. Specifically, the broadcasts got a lot better production and more professional. I wish skiing did what surfing did and broadcast their contests online. Not only that, surfing has really good "heat replays" and end-of-day highlight videos at their website. So you don't have to have some obscure tv channel to get it. Having that kind of online presence makes more sense when the contests are in different time zones around the world across the season.

 

[river-z]

As CEO of the WSL, Goldschmidt was responsible for transforming both the business capabilities and culture. During her tenure, she negotiated a historic 10-year agreement with the athletes, led the implementation of equal prize money for men and women, secured unprecedented levels of linear and digital distribution, including a first-of-its-kind Facebook partnership, in addition to record revenue performance. She also delivered the first-ever competitive events utilizing wave technology at the WSL’s Surf Ranch, relaunched the organization’s ocean health advocacy program WSL PURE and significantly raised the WSL’s profile globally.

This paragraph made me laugh. By far the biggest stinker during her time at WSL was the Facebook partnership. Fans absolutely hated it, mocked it mercilessly, and many refused to watch the events that were Facebook-only. Part of the argument for it was to allow more fan interaction through comments on the sidebar and emojis that could float up through the screen. The comments were NSFW and most of the emojis were poop emojis. Surf fans are an unruly bunch.

The wave pool event was cool the first time they did it but it's gotten stale. The variety you get from the challenge of changing conditions in nature is so much better.

 

[Average Joe]

The U.S. ski team is limited to skimming off what talent may or may not be out there and in the big picture, they have almost no control how that talent may or may not be developed.

That's one way to look at it, but misses the overall function of the Association.
While yes they do manage the USST, they also oversee junior development on a national level here in the US (the US Ski Team merged with the US Ski Association the 80's).
As to how well they manage the multiple responsibilities.......I'll leave that to a separate discussion.

Comparing the USSS CEO to a hockey commissioner is apples to oranges. The NHL, NBA, MLB Comissioners all negotiate to the benefit of a collective of billion dollar franchisees.
By contrast, the USSS CEO has to:
1)Fundraise
2) Manage an organization of similar yet disparate interests
3) Answer to a Board
4) Fundraise
Etc etc.

Sophie may have all the skills needed, I hope that they chose well. But thinking that the solution to the money problems is to strike deals like what she did with Facebook with the wave pool surf contests, or gain substantial more TV revenue out of the Killington or Beaver Creek broadcast rights, is more than a pipe dream.
Ski racing is a niche sport here in the US and North America. Revenue from donations and sponsorships has and will be the primary funding source.
Sadly, there's a guy they likely refused to consider: Dan Leever.
He has
Run a multi billion dollar company,
is passionate about the sport,
has spent millions of his own money for the private development of athletes in the sport,
has media experience (owns Ski Racing media)
has industry experience (Sync)
And whose son got World Cup start last year.

So the idea that they had to recruit from outside the sport, to "reimagine a new paradigm" or whatever, was uneccesary.

 

[pchewn]

I am taking the "wait and see" approach.

Like Muleski said, there is so much politics involved in U.S. ski racing that she may have never encountered in the past. Politics from FIS, each USSA division, individual academies and clubs, coaches, and individual ski areas that allow the training etc. It is like dealing with a heard of cats at this point. Hope she is up for that battle.

Surely she has encountered so much politics in soccer:
Rapino et al demanding equal pay as men.
FIFA : the king of sports organization politics.
etc....

Ski racing is just a level 5 for politics. Soccer is a level 9

 

[scott43]

The problem is, sometimes you stare at the trees so long you can't see the forest anymore. Fresh views can help a lot sometimes..

 

[Mark1975]

So the idea that they had to recruit from outside the sport, to "reimagine a new paradigm" or whatever, was uneccesary.

This!!!

I have been involved with ski racing for 40+ years. As an athlete, coach, and official. USSA is always looking for the magic bullet "new paradigm" that doesn't exist and never has.

Ski racing is a simple sport that is hard to master. Mastery depends #1) on the genetic potential of the athlete and #2) the LONG term development of that potential through coaching and training.

USSA totally fails on #2.

They are always looking just for that wunderkind 16 year old and everyone else is cow manure because they may not reach their athletic prime until their mid-20's. Too much time and development costs in their eyes.

Like clockwork, every so many years, they come out with a new paradigm that is "guaranteed" to work, even though their last paradigm was a total failure. The new paradigm is guaranteed to fail too because it is marketing fluff and never addresses issue #2 above.

 

[Average Joe]

They are always looking just for that wunderkind 16 year old and everyone else is cow manure because they may not reach their athletic prime until their mid-20's. Too much time and development costs in their eyes.

Like clockwork, every so many years, they come out with a new paradigm that is "guaranteed" to work, even though their last paradigm was a total failure. The new paradigm is guaranteed to fail too because it is marketing fluff and never addresses issue #2 above.

Nailed it.
The USST has historically failed at long term athlete development, preferring to remain fixated on pushing ahead the next Mikaela. It’s been standard procedure for decades. And when a new Mikaela comes along, it seems to validate what they think is working.
Promoting the “stars” to the potential sponsors brings home the cash. And if the sponsors can’t promote a skier that is not an Olympic medal contender, they don’t want to pony up the big bucks.
The Norwegians have a proven model of long term team development that consistently yields winning results that do not rely on single athlete “rock star” status.
Our approach casts asides many potential athletes in their prime that do not meet Shiffrin or Vonn status by their early to mid 20’s.
Case in point, Paula Moltzan,a junior World Champion, then on the USST goes straight to World Cup, a few non productive years, gets dumped by the USST, goes to UVM, fights her way back via a time trial to a start at Killington (with personal and donated funds and a boyfriend tuning her skis) to now top 30’s in the World Cup. Instead of training at the 10+ million $ “Palace of Excellence” in Park City she works out in a backyard shed in western MA.

I hope the new CEO concentrates on changing our failed approach to long term athlete development as a top priority.

 

[sparty]

Ski Racing had an interview with Goldschmidt running today:
https://skiracing.com/top-rotator/14-questions-with-new-president-ceo-sophie-goldschmidt/

 

[James]

Ski Racing had an interview with Goldschmidt running today:
https://skiracing.com/top-rotator/14-questions-with-new-president-ceo-sophie-goldschmidt/

Interesting. Not a lot of details, but at this point what’s she going to say.
I suspect the interviewer, the editor in chief of SRM, is not happy about her appointment.
This is his statement, and one he says pretty directly to her.
“Based on her credentials, the message from the board is simple: The next chapter for U.S. Ski & Snowboard will focus on revenue, commercialization, and growing the brand.”