CAA Sports to Acquire International Sports Management Consultancy Portas Consulting

CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency, has agreed to a deal to acquire Portas Consulting, a premier global management consulting firm, subject to customary regulatory approval. Executive Chairman and Founder David Portas and Managing Partner Donal McElwee, along with their team of 160 consultants and staff who have completed projects in more than 40 countries worldwide, will join the agency.

With key offices in London, Riyadh, Dubai, and Singapore, the award-winning sports consultancy, which will be rebranded to CAA Portas, collaborates with governments, federations, Olympic committees, leagues, clubs, investors, Ministers, Boards, C-suite executives, senior sports leaders and private sector organizations to develop innovative strategies that improve performance, enhance participation, optimize governance, and drive commercial growth. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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“The global sports marketplace is evolving rapidly, creating unprecedented opportunities for the agency and our clients in both established and emerging markets. As CAA Sports continues its international growth plan, we remain focused on creating new service offerings that we can deliver to clients to accelerate their business objectives,” said Paul Danforth, CAA Managing Director and President of CAA Sports. “Portas Consulting is a best-in-class management consultancy, whose likeminded leadership and collaborative approach to client service will fit seamlessly into the CAA Sports ecosystem. By adding this unique expertise to our already robust suite of services, we are uniquely positioned to help shape the future of the global sports industry.”

Founded in 2006, Portas Consulting consistently ranks among the top sports management consulting firms, providing its clients in the sector with a more tailored and specialist service and deeper subject matter expertise than the generalist management consultancies. Delivering impact across all areas of the sports economy, Portas’ recent programs include: transforming sports economies; creating national sports policies; increasing sports participation; winning bids for major events; optimizing leagues and clubs; securing increases in funding into sport at a national and city level; optimizing global sporting calendars; supporting federations, leagues and clubs with their investments and long-term commercial sustainability; and providing sports investment advisory, and feasibility studies for sports assets.

“Portas’ mission is to transform the world through sport,” said Donal McElwee, Managing Partner, Portas Consulting. “We have grown organically by 30% annually throughout the last 10 years to become the leading independent advisor to senior leaders in sport. Our new goal is to expand even faster to create a world leading end-to-end advisory business. CAA Sports is the ideal fit to achieve this growth and diversification for the benefit of the industry, our clients, and our people.”

CAA Sports is a diversified sports enterprise with global operations encompassing 18 divisions, including property sales, brand consulting, media rights, executive search, venue development, and athlete representation. Since its inception, CAA Sports has completed more than $11 billion in new sponsorship business on behalf of its property clients and orchestrated precedent-setting naming rights agreements, including the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium; Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center; and the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome. The agency’s industry-leading sports media advisory practice has structured and negotiated more than $100 billion in media rights deals since its formation in 2010. The award-winning CAA Brand Consulting is currently advising, managing, and activating on more than $4 billion in sponsorship rights deals on behalf of its global brand clients.

In 2017, the agency launched CAA ICON, the leading owner’s representative and strategic management consulting firm, which oversees the development, design, and construction of major stadiums worldwide, and CAA Executive Search, becoming the first major U.S. talent agency to build an executive search practice, serving the sports, entertainment, and media industries. The agency most recently announced the launch of CAA Global Family Office Advisory to help support the unique complexities of generational wealth. Providing a level of strategic insight, cultural fluency, and global connectivity that is unmatched in the industry, CAA Global Family Office Advisory helps Family Office clients navigate structure and design, family governance, and operational efficiencies, and provides board, leadership, philanthropic and human capital advisory.

CAA Sports represents more than 3,000 of the world’s best athletes in such sports as baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and soccer, in addition to coaches, on-air broadcasters, and sports personalities. For nine consecutive years, the agency has topped Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Agencies list, with $14.1 billion in current active contract value under management and nearly $4 billion in client marketing revenues.

Rothschild & Co served as financial advisor for Portas Consulting and Charles Russell Speechlys LLP as legal advisor. White & Case LLP served as legal advisor for CAA.

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