Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, announced that Nicole Portwood has been named Chief Brand Officer. In this newly created role, Portwood will further enhance the Live Nation brand across all channels by exploring new opportunities that develop deeper relationships with both artists and fans worldwide as they make lifelong memories with the music and events they love.
“We built Live Nation into the leading live music brand by promoting and investing in artists around the world at every level from clubs to stadiums, and with Nicole’s expertise we will continue to expand our Live Nation product offering for both artists and fans,” said Michael Rapino, President and CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. “We look forward to the new opportunities and growth Nicole will help shape, from onsite experiences to developing new digital content offerings such as NFTs or membership options.”
“Joining an innovative company like Live Nation which is cherished by music and live entertainment fans across the world, is a dream come true,” said Portwood. “This work bridges my personal and professional passions, and I am excited to work with the incredibly talented and entrepreneurial people here to develop a robust brand strategy that strengthens loyalty and heightens the entire live experience for fans. With the return of live events, this is such an exciting moment for the company and in culture more broadly, and I cannot wait for what’s ahead.”
Portwood joins Live Nation from PepsiCo where she most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Mountain Dew and the flavored soft drink portfolio. Prior to PepsiCo, she served as the Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Tito’s Handmade Vodka for nine years, building the marketing capabilities along with the brand, for which she was recognized as AdAge’s Marketer of the Year for 2017. Over the years, Portwood has honed a fan-centric marketing model and is also an entrepreneur in her own right, creating and then selling a thriving pizza business on Austin’s 6th Street. She studied theatre and philosophy at Southern Methodist University and now lives in New York with her husband and two children.
Live events continue to be one of the most treasured and engaging experiences for people around the world. In just 5 years Live Nation nearly doubled the number of fans attending its promoted events from 58 million in 2014 to almost 100 million in 2019. The company posted 10 years of consecutive growth through 2019, and Live Nation is expecting an epic return to live events with key indicators for 2022 pacing ahead of 2019 levels for all of its divisions. Live Nation continues channeling this growth into new opportunities for artists, fans, and employees.
About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.