TKO Group, the parent company for WWE, issued the following press release today:
TKO Appoints Dean Garfield to Lead Government Affairs
NEW YORK (June 17, 2025) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO” or the “Company”), a premium sports and entertainment company, today announced it has appointed Dean Garfield as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, effective June 16.
In this newly created role, Garfield will lead the company’s government affairs activities globally, reporting to Seth Krauss, Chief Administrative Officer & Senior Counsel to the Board of Directors and Senior Management.
“Dean’s extensive public policy experience will be integral to supercharging TKO’s government relations strategy, including strengthening our engagement with governments to bring our marquee events to fans in all regions of the world,” said Krauss. “Our existing international partnerships with Western Australia, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia, as well as domestically with Minnesota, New Jersey, and California, demonstrate the significant demand for our properties’ live events, and we expect, with Dean’s leadership, to expand our growth in this area.”
Garfield will lead a team responsible for public policy initiatives and political engagement, as well as support TKO’s subsidies and incentives efforts.
“I am excited to be joining TKO and for the opportunity to share with governments what we know to be true: People all around the world view sports and live entertainment as central to their lives, to building community, and to delivering economic impact,” Garfield said.
Garfield brings more than 20 years of public policy experience to the role, including 15 years in media and entertainment. Most recently, Garfield was Netflix’s Vice President of Public Policy, where he served as a key member of the executive team, building and leading the company’s global government affairs function and pursuing incentive packages globally.
Prior to joining Netflix in 2019, Garfield served as President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council; as EVP and Chief Strategic Officer for the Motion Picture Association (MPA); and as VP of legal affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Garfield was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and was re-appointed by President Donald Trump. He was also appointed to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation.
Garfield received a law degree from New York University School of Law and a master’s degree in International Affairs and Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he was a Ford-Rockefeller as well as a Root-Tilden-Snow scholar, respectively. He received a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Middlebury College.
About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.
Website Disclosure
Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.
