Ticketmaster promotes Maria O’Connor, reshuffles ANZ leadership team

Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand is rewarding company stalwart Maria O’Connor with a promotion as part of a wider shakeup of its leadership team.

After more than three decades at the company, O’Connor is promoted from Managing Director to Chairman, Australia and New Zealand.

Irish-born O’Connor joined the Live Nation-owned company in 1983 (then operating as BASS under the Victorian Government) and has served as the ticketing giant’s Managing Director for the past 28 years.

In her time there, she’s played an “integral part in shaping the ticketing industry in the region,” according to a corporate statement.

As Chairman, O’Connor will continue to foster long-term industry relationships and pursue opportunities to build Ticketmaster’s business across the region.

“Under the leadership of Maria O’Connor, Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand has thrived and become the region’s leading ticketing company,” comments Mark Yovich, Global Ticketmaster President.

Mark Yovich

O’Connor’s “extensive knowledge and understanding of the ticketing and live event industries will continue to be an invaluable asset to our senior leadership team,” he continues.

Slotting into the vacant MD role is live events veteran Gavin Taylor, who has served as CEO of the WAFC for the past four years and as General Manager at Perth Stadium Management before that.

Taylor has extensive experience in live entertainment, events and ticketing that spans 15 years, and is recognised for his recent work in managing the impact of COVID on football in WA.

Ticketmaster’s Maria O’Connor and Gavin Taylor

“Gavin is a welcome addition to the Ticketmaster family – his impressive track record of success will undoubtedly have a great impact on our business,” notes Yovich. “At such a crucial time for us, Gavin’s knowledge and experience will help guide our teams on the road back to live, while remaining focused on Ticketmaster’s growth and leadership within the industry.”

The executive reshuffle continues with Jim Kotsonis elevated from Finance and Operations Director to the new position of Executive Vice President of Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Justin Pule, who joined the Ticketmaster family at its New Zealand business  in 2007 and has been running the business since 2010, is named Managing Director of Ticketmaster New Zealand.

Harley Evans

Harley Evans, who joined the company in 2019 following Ticketmaster’s acquisition of Moshtix, continues as Managing Director of Moshtix Australia and New Zealand servicing the General Admission sector.

Joining Evans at Moshtix is Anjelica Devoe, previously All Blacks Tours and Ticketmaster. Based in Auckland, Devoe will tackle operations in NZ in the role of Head of Business Development to drive operations.

Going forward, Taylor, Pule and Evans all report into Kotsonis.

Finally, Susie Kyrou, formerly with ad-tech giant Rokt, is the new General Manager of Data and Insights at Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand, where she’s tasked with the rollout of the company’s local data and insights division.

The new executive structure follows a major reshuffle at Ticketmaster, which is said to be combining its North America and international activities into a single, global unit, led by Yovich.

Earlier in the year, the ticketing company expanded its footprint in Asia through the launch of Ticketmaster Singapore and the acquisition of Taiwan’s Tixcraft.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.