One month after Legends’ acquisition of ASM Global was completed, a $2.3 billion transaction, executive leadership remains in flux for the facility management company.
Ron Bension, who served as ASM Global’s president and CEO for about 3.5 years, left the company last month and has been replaced on a temporary basis by Mark Rozells as interim lead of ASM Global, Legends officials confirmed with VenuesNow. Industry sources said Bension sent an email internally announcing his departure a half-hour before a town hall meeting via conference call took place on Aug. 23, the day the completion of the merger was announced.
Ron Bension
Rozells, ASM Global’s chief financial officer, has been with the company for five years after serving as chief finance officer and chief administrative officer for FreshRealm, a food service company producing meals for retail grocers such as Walmart and Kroger.
As it stands now, Legends officials said there is no timeline for when ASM Global will appoint a new president and CEO and whether that person will come from inside the sports and entertainment industry or outside the business.
Dan Levy is CEO of the combined Legends and ASM Global business, which was part of the late August announcement. Levy has been in place since March after coming over from Meta, also known as Facebook, where he was vice president and product group lead, responsible for all aspects of product development and sales and marketing for business messaging.
ASM Global’s leadership team remains intact with Doug Thornton, executive vice president of stadiums, arenas and theaters; Dan Hoffend, executive vice president of convention centers; Harvey Lister, ASM’s chairman and chief executive of Asia Pacific; and Chris Bray, president of Europe.
Bob Newman, whose career in venue management spans about 35 years, remains chairman of ASM Global, a position he has held since November 2020 after the merger was completed between SMG and AEG Facilities, forming ASM Global.
Newman is no longer part of ASM Global’s board of directors after that group was dissolved following Legends’ acquisition of ASM Global, Legends officials said.
The combination of Legends and ASM Global forms a company that now extends to operating 350 arenas, stadiums and convention centers around the world, which were ASM Global clients.
Facility management was among the final pieces missing from Legends, which is now coupled with providing food service, premium ticket sales, sponsorships, project management and market research.
VenuesNow first reported the new of the proposed merger between Legends and ASM Global.
