© Kyle Terada | 2020 Dec 12
SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors have named Brandon Schneider President and Chief Operating Officer, the team announced today. Schneider, who will report to Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob and Co-Executive Chairman Peter Guber, will transition into his new role on July 1, 2021. Schneider will replace Rick Welts, who announced last week that he will step down from his current position at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Schneider, 41, is currently in his 19th season with the Warriors and spent the last three seasons (2018-21) as the team’s Chief Revenue Officer, responsible for the strategic planning and execution of the organization’s sales and activation efforts at Chase Center. In this role, he oversaw all ticket sales and service efforts, corporate partnerships, marketing and digital strategy, and philanthropic efforts through the Warriors Community Foundation. Additionally, Schneider oversaw the Santa Cruz Warriors operations.
“We’re thrilled to announce Brandon’s appointment as President and COO,” said Joe Lacob, Warriors Co-Executive Chairman and CEO. “During his 19 years with the Warriors, he has established a proven track record across several different job functions and, most importantly, has done so in any situation, regardless of the team’s on-court success. In recent years, his ability to oversee multiple departments that have achieved never-seen-before results has been nothing short of amazing. Brandon is one of the bright, young executives in our industry and I anticipate a smooth transition from Rick.”
“We’re excited that Brandon will lead our talented group of employees into the next generation from a business operations perspective,” said Peter Guber, Warriors Co-Executive Chairman. “His input and contributions have been critical in everything we’ve accomplished in recent years—from the building of Chase Center to its extensive sales and suites programs—and we look forward to benefitting from his vision, leadership and institutional knowledge in the future. The fact that he’s a Bay Area native who has spent nearly his entire life in Northern California, including nearly two decades with the Warriors, is an added benefit.”
“I’m extremely grateful for this incredible opportunity with this amazing organization,” said Schneider. “For a young Bay Area kid who attended his first Warriors game with his dad in 1987—a quadruple overtime affair at that—to be in this position with this group of great people from top to bottom is unimaginable. I’m especially appreciative of Rick Welts for his friendship, mentorship, and guidance over the last decade, and of course Joe Lacob and Peter Guber for believing in me and enabling this franchise to prosper through their vision and unwavering commitment.”
Under Schneider’s leadership, the Warriors launched a series of innovative ticket sales and service initiatives, including the launch of Suite Exchange, an industry-first suite resale platform. During Schneider’s tenure, the Warriors’ season ticket base grew to a capped-out level of 12,000 seats, and he spearheaded a successful renewal strategy that has resulted in a 90-percent plus season ticket renewal rate in each of the past seven seasons. The Warriors launched a Priority Wait List for season tickets prior to the 2013-14 season, which has grown to more than 40,000 members. His guidance has helped the Warriors to a 377-game sellout streak through the end of the 2019-20 season.
Schneider’s direction of the team’s corporate partnerships strategy set various league records as the team was the first franchise in NBA history to break the $100 million barrier in partnership revenue in a single season (2019-20), opening Chase Center with 13 founding level partners, including naming rights partner JPMorgan Chase. The Warriors Community Foundation’s philanthropic efforts have continued to escalate throughout his tenure, with the team having granted over $22 million in impact since the Foundation’s inception in 2012. Additionally, with Schneider’s oversight, the Santa Cruz Warriors were named NBA G League Franchise of the Year in 2017-18.
Schneider originally joined the Warriors in 2002 as a season ticket account executive. Following a series of promotions, Schneider was named the team’s Director of Ticket Sales in 2006 and Executive Director of Ticket Sales in 2008 before a promotion to Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service in 2010. After three years in that role, Schneider was named Group Vice President, Ticket Sales and Service. Schneider then spent three years (2015-2018) as the team’s Senior Vice President of Business Development before his promotion to Chief Revenue Officer in March 2018.
During his tenure with the Warriors, the organization has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including being named “Franchise of the Decade” among all professional sports teams by Sports Business Journal in 2019. Additionally, the Warriors became the first professional team to win Sports Business Journal’s “Sports Team of the Year” award on multiple occasions (2014 and 2016). Schneider was named to Sports Business Journal’s Power Players list in 2018 after being named to the publication’s Forty Under 40 list in 2017. These honors followed Schneider’s inclusion on Forty Under 40 lists by Diablo Magazine in 2015 and the San Francisco Business Times in 2016.
Schneider was heavily involved with the completion of the Warriors’ state-of-the-art new arena, Chase Center, in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, which opened its doors in September 2019. A year after its opening, Chase Center was named Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal and has received numerous distinctions and industry awards.