McCourt Global appoints O’Connor as communications and external affairs head

McCourt Global has named Rod O’Connor as global head of communications and external affairs. Previously, O’Connor was principal at The Messina Group.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK CITY – McCourt Global (MG), an alternative investment and asset management firm, today announced that Rod O’Connor has been appointed to the newly created role of Global Head of Communications and External Affairs. In this position, O’Connor will lead all corporate communications, branding, stakeholder engagement and government affairs across the McCourt business and philanthropic enterprise. He will report to Tracey Russell, Chief Operating Officer. O’Connor previously served as a Principal at The Messina Group, a private business consulting, strategic communications and campaign strategy firm with offices in the U.S. and Europe. In this role, he advised C-suite clients and heads of government on a broad range of business, political campaign and governmental issues.

“I am thrilled to welcome Rod to our executive team,” said Frank McCourt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCourt Global. “Rod’s broad expertise and network will add depth and insight to our leadership team as we expand our platform and focus on the future of business and social change.”

“Since its founding, the McCourt philosophy has been to take the high road and long view, and I am proud to join a team that holds these as core values for their business and change-making ventures,” said O’Connor. “MG is an entrepreneurial organization with an industry-leading track record in real estate, sports and finance and an evolving focus on social impact with tremendous growth potential in everything it does. I look forward to working with the talented McCourt team to develop these new opportunities.”

O’Connor has a 20-year record of success in communications, public affairs, business and government. Prior to The Messina Group, Rod was an Executive Vice President for AEG, a global leader in sports and entertainment, where he was responsible for P&L, operations, programming, partner development and new business development for AEG Europe’s network of venues. In this role, he also oversaw three professional sports teams owned by the company in Europe. He served two years in the Obama administration as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Energy, directing the department’s principal initiatives and overseeing day-to-day operations for a federal agency with a workforce of 115,000 and an annual budget of $27 billion. Rod previously worked as President of the XPRIZE Foundation, CEO of the 2004 Democratic Convention and as a long-time aide to former Vice President Al Gore.

Rod has an MPA from Harvard University and a BA from Hampden-Sydney College