Saumil Mehta Appointed New Global President of Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has appointed Saumil Mehta as its new Global President, effective November 1.

Leadership change:

• Current Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich will end his five-year tenure and move into the role of Chairman, focusing on what Ticketmaster calls “the company’s long-term strategy and global growth.”

Backstory:

• Mehta comes to Ticketmaster from Square, where he was most recently Chief Product Officer and Head of Business Ops.

• Prior he founded LocBox, a marketing automation startup that helped local businesses grow through targeted, multi-channel marketing, which was acquired by Square in 2015.

• He will report directly to Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino.

AI focus:

• As per Ticketmaster’s press release, Mehta has worked as an advisor and investor to a diverse group of AI startups over the past six months, and aims to accelerate an AI transformation at Ticketmaster.

• Under his leadership, Ticketmaster says it will “execute AI opportunities across key areas of its business – such as empowering venues, fortifying the ticketing infrastructure against bad actors, and enhancing the ticket-buying experience for fans.”

Ongoing challenges:

• Mehta’s appointment comes as scrutiny on Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment intensifies.

• The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation in May 2024.

• Last month the Federal Trade Commission announced it was suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster over alleged illegal ticket resales.

What they said:

• Saumil Mehta: “Ticketmaster is an extraordinary organization that acts as a gateway to the finest live entertainment globally. The true potential lies in how we enhance the experience – creating more intelligence and intuitive methods for fans to engage with the live events that are significant to them.”

• Michael Rapino: “Over the past several years, Ticketmaster has been working to build a strong foundation for the next phase of growth. Saumil brings a fresh perspective and deep product and technology expertise that will help us build on that momentum.”