NBA chief advertising officer Tammy Henault is leaving after three years within the function.
She is going to depart on the finish of September.
Henault joined the NBA in 2022 to steer international advertising for the league and its associates. Her purpose was to “additional the group’s mission to encourage and join folks in every single place by way of the ability of basketball,” she mentioned on the time.
Over the previous few years, Henault has helped increase the NBA’s international fan base, deepen engagement and cultural relevancy, and drive digital innovation by way of initiatives such because the Subsequent Gen platform.
She developed built-in methods throughout information, neighborhood, experiential, and creator advertising. She additionally spearheaded the NBA’s new model identification, rolled out experiences just like the NBA Home, helped with launches comparable to the brand new in-season match, and solid partnerships together with a worldwide collaboration with UnitedMasters’ secure of music artists.
Henault oversaw lauded campaigns comparable to “The Reward of Recreation” 2023 vacation advert; 2023’s “The Heist,” which garnered almost 500 million views globally, plus its sequel; and “Unforgettable Awaits” for the 2025 Finals, starring Mindy Kaling and Kevin Costner.
Throughout her tenure, the NBA broke attendance information, hitting its second-highest numbers for the 2024-2025 season following the 2023-2024 season that broke information in each class.
Henault confirmed her departure from the NBA in a LinkedIn submit on Friday, saying that she’d be taking a “energy pause” to discover new alternatives.
“What a rare privilege it has been to assist develop and evolve one of the iconic manufacturers on the planet–increasing our international viewers, deepening fan engagement, driving digital innovation, and strengthening the NBA’s cultural influence,” Henault wrote.
Henault declined to remark past the LinkedIn submit.
In an announcement offered to ADWEEK, the NBA confirmed Henault’s departure and mentioned advertising will probably be managed by “the group’s present management group on an interim foundation.”
In accordance with an inside memo to workers, written by NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and obtained by ADWEEK, that management group contains Janine Dugre, svp of artistic companies, model, and promoting; Andy Heatley, svp of media technique; Claisian Phillips, svp of DTC and partnerships advertising; Jenny Whitlock, svp international head of fan advertising; Jonathan Hsu, head of selling Operations, and Dana Tarricone, vp, head of worldwide advertising.
“Throughout her time with the league, Tammy oversaw plenty of initiatives to construct consciousness and viewership of NBA tentpole occasions, drive fan engagement throughout conventional and digital media platforms, and deepen our relationship with followers globally,” Tatum wrote. “We thank Tammy for her many contributions and want her nicely in her future endeavors.”
Previous to the NBA, Henault was senior vp of selling for Paramount+, the place she oversaw model advertising, partnerships, progress, and engagement for the streaming service. Earlier than that, she labored at The New York Instances and led buyer acquisition and retention for its digital subscription enterprise.
Editor’s observe: This story was up to date with an announcement from the NBA, in addition to and knowledge from a memo despatched to workers about Henault’s departure.
