Michael friisdahl wiki page

TORONTO — Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is looking for a new president and CEO.

The owner of the NHL Leafs, NBA Raptors, CFL Argonauts, AHL Marlies and Major League Soccer&#;s Toronto FC said Tuesday that Michael Friisdahl, who has served in both roles since December , is leaving at the end of February to become executive chairman of Signature Aviation, a British-based multinational aviation services company.

Chief financial officer Cynthia Devine has been named interim president and CEO during the search for Friisdahl&#;s successor.

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&#;Michael&#;s leadership over the past six years has been incredibly important as the organization navigated through the highs of our successes and the challenges of managing the unprecedented impact of the COVID pandemic these past two years,&#; MLSE chair Larry Tanenbaum said in a statement.

&#;Through it all, Michael raised the bar in every area of MLSE&#;s operation, and most importantly, made sure that the organization prioritized our leadership role in the community including finding impactful ways to help our city and its citizens recover from the pandemic.&#;

Friisdahl is no stranger to the travel sector.

Prior to joining MLSE, he was president and CEO for Air Canada Leisure Travel Group, including Air Canada Rouge, and CEO of Thomas Cook North America.

&#;Leading this organization for the past six years has been a highlight of my career and I am so proud of the organization&#;s accomplishments and the commitment shown by MLSE employees every day, but especially during the challenges of the past two years,&#; Friisdahl said in a statement.

MLSE declined further comment Tuesday.

Friisdahl has faced no shortage of challenges during his time in charge of the sports and entertainment conglomerate.

Foremost among them has been the pandemic.

Michael friisdahl wiki Friisdahl had been in the position since ' MLSE said it was beginning a search for Friisdahl's replacement immediately. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Leaders Group. Digital Edition 1.

MLSE has had to relocate teams, keep staff safe and adapt to ever-changing schedules and conditions.

MLSE won kudos in the early days of the pandemic in , turning Scotiabank Arena into a giant kitchen to prepare and donate hundreds of thousands of meals to front-line workers and community agencies.

Friisdahl also had big shoes to fill in following the larger-than-life Tim Leiweke.

Unlike Leiweke, Friisdahl has been content to work behind the scenes and stay out of the spotlight.

Championships have come during his tenure — Toronto FC, Argonauts and Raptors (NBA G League) in , the Marlies in and Raptors in

Friisdahl deflected any praise to the teams&#; management, MLSE&#;s ownership and those that came before him.

&#;We&#;re focused on winning.

Our teams are focused on winning and our ownership is focused on winning,&#; he said in &#;My job is very much to support the teams, give them the tools, make sure we invest where we need to invest. Their job is to make sure we win.&#;

Friisdahl was born in Denmark but came to Canada when he was Originally based in Vancouver, he has been in Toronto since

Devine joined MLSE in April from RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust where she had served as CFO.

From to , Devine was CFO at Tim Hortons Inc. following executive positions at Maple Leaf Foods and Pepsi-Cola Canada.