Bears hire Matt O'Brien as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Revenue |
The Chicago Bears on Tuesday announced the hiring of Matt O'Brien as the organization's Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Revenue.
O'Brien joins the Bears after most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Partnership Officer at Rock Entertainment Group (REG) and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In this newly created role, O'Brien will guide the organization's commercial partnerships operation, including partnership activation and partnership solutions, as well as suite sales and service, providing strategic leadership for world-class experiences, connectivity and revenue generation on a local, national and global scale, advancing and fortifying the club's commitment to growth and brand development internationally. "The addition of Matt to our organization not only advances our operation but further enhances our partnership development initiatives and service strategy through creative, relational, solution-oriented methods, while fortifying our collective drive toward growth and progression," said Chicago Bears EVP of Revenue and Chief Business Officer Meka Morris. During his tenure with Cleveland, O'Brien developed systems and processes focused on long-term organizational growth in collaboration with club partners, driving strategic revenue growth domestically and internationally. "Joining the Chicago Bears represents an incredible opportunity to contribute to one of the most storied and respected franchises in sports, said O'Brien. "This is beyond exciting. I have experienced first-hand the emotional connection and impact our team brings to our local community right here at home, as well as Bears fans globally. I am thrilled to work alongside our talented team to build meaningful partnerships that will elevate the Chicago Bears brand and create lasting value for fans and partners alike." O'Brien has accumulated over 30 years of experience in the professional sports industry. Joining the Cavaliers in 2013 as Vice President of Corporate Partnership Development, O'Brien steadily advanced to lead commercial partnerships spanning the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL's Cleveland Monsters, NBA G League's Cleveland Charge and Rocket Arena. After five years, he went to work overseas at National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia as Chief Commercial Officer, then came back home serving as SVP, Development at Notre Dame Global Partnerships, benefitting the University of Notre Dame. Returning to Cleveland in 2020, O'Brien rejoined the operation as SVP, Global Partnerships, advancing to SVP, Chief Partnerships Officer in 2024. O'Brien's responsibilities increased and expanded into the broader Rock Entertainment Group, where he also played a significant role in global partnership strategies for wider sports and entertainment properties. O'Brien served as an advisor through REG to Cosm, a premier sports and entertainment experience, and100 Thieves, a premium lifestyle and gaming brand, in 2022, before his appointment as Chief Revenue Officer. A graduate of Drake University, O'Brien has also served as an adjunct professor at York College (Pa.) and actively volunteers as a youth hockey coach. A native of Aurora, Ill., O'Brien and his wife, Christina, have two daughters, Lily and Riley.
