NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment announced the hire of Laura Franco as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for both companies.
In her new role at MSGE and Sphere Ent., Franco will take point on legal affairs, including corporate, commercial, transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters. She will also oversee corporate and business legal operations for both companies, including negotiations and execution of significant business transactions.
She will report directly to the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both companies, James L. Dolan.
“We are pleased to welcome Laura to the MSG Family of Companies,” said Mr. Dolan. “Laura’s background handling high-profile corporate and business legal matters at premier media companies will be a valuable addition to our Legal teams, and we look forward to leveraging her expertise as both companies pursue their business strategies.”
Franco joins MSG/The Sphere after a tenure as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at the dating and social media app, Bumble. Her resume also includes more than two decades at Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation in a variety of senior roles, including Executive Vice President, General Counsel at CBS.
She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“The opportunity to take on this role with two leading entertainment companies is a significant professional milestone,” said Ms. Franco. “I look forward to working with the management teams at both companies to ensure we continue to deliver excellence across our Legal operations and help drive both MSG Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment’s growth initiatives.”