MotoGP: Dorna name former NBA Senior Vice President Dan Rossomondo as new Chief Commercial Officer

Former NBA Senior Vice President Dan Rossomondo has been appointed MotoGP Chief Commercial Officer by promoter and organiser, Dorna.

Rossomondo takes the role previously held by Manel Arroyo, and will lead the media rights, global commercial partnerships and digital business teams at Dorna.

Prior to working at the National Basketball Association, Rossomondo worked within advertising at Madison Square Garden, before taking on various roles with IMG. Time Warner Global Media, and the NBA.

In his previous role with the NBA, the New York University alumni was responsible for substantial growth across sponsorship, media, global attractions, licensing, and retail. He and his team negotiated agreements across an array of NBA properties and oversaw sales relationships with Walt Disney and Warner Media Discovery, as well as rights holders across the world.

“MotoGP is truly a global sport that combines technological innovation with the riders’ ability, athleticism and skill,” Rossomondo said. “They are the heroes of the show, and the sport is spectacular to watch.

“Right now, MotoGP is perfectly positioned to cultivate its current fan base at the same time as attracting new audiences, with incredible scope to push boundaries and take on fresh opportunities. Hit’s high paced, and the passion from riders, the people in the paddock and the sport’s millions of fans is something special.

“When I met Carmelo, Enrique and Carlos, our views on the sport and the business quickly aligned. I’m really excited to jump into this role.”

Dorna continues to work towards increasing the popularity of MotoGP, with sprint races and more fan interaction opportunities introduced across race weekends in 2023. Whilst the sprint races have proven to be popular with MotoGP fans, the changes to the format and intensity of the races has left riders with varying views.

Rossomondo will seek to take MotoGP to the next level, particularly after watching the rise of Formula One in the last few seasons, mainly due to the huge popularity of the behind-the-scenes docuseries, Drive to Survive on Netflix.

F1’s status continues to grow in the United States and around the world, with a record four-day crowd of over 440,000 fans attending the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne.

MotoGP received similar media treatment with MotoGP Unlimited on Amazon Prime, however the show’s format and content wasn’t as well received as its four-wheeled counterpart’s Netflix show.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Dan,” Dorna Sports CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta said. “He is part of a real new era, not only on track as we enjoy the biggest season ever for MotoGP, but also behind the scenes and within Dorna. MotoGP is a global property, with millions of fans around the world, and welcoming Dan to the company makes us more global too.

“He brings a new perspective, a new outlook, and helps us to ensure we have an experienced, varied team charged with making this sport the biggest and best it possibly can be. We want to continue the incredible trajectory we’ve already begun, and Dan will be an incredible ally.

“Dan’s vision for the commercial future of MotoGP fits perfectly with our views: fresh ideas, increased reach, and commitment to take the sport to new heights. At the helm, I’m confident he will provide existing partners with the best possible results and relationships, and at the same time will work to search out new, like-minded media, marketing and licensing partners.

“We know Dan can bring a lot to Dorna and our biggest property, MotoGP, and on a personal level we’re also very much looking forward to working with him. We’re very excited to begin this new chapter.

Rossomondo will be formerly introduced to the MotoGP paddock in a press conference at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, on Friday April 14.