CAA Executive Search Assists Newcastle United with the Recruitment of New CEO
September 17, 2025 – CAA Executive Search has assisted Newcastle United with the recruitment of David Hopkinson as its new CEO. He replaced outgoing CEO Darren Eales, who steps down from the position for health reasons. Asher Simons, co-founder and president of CAA Executive Search, led the assignment along with partner Alexander Cooke. “We are delighted to welcome David to Newcastle United,” said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Newcastle United chairman. “David is an outstanding executive whose track record across global sport and entertainment speaks for itself. His experience and strategic capabilities will be invaluable as we continue to build on the club’s presence locally and grow it globally on and off the pitch. David’s leadership will be critical as we build upon what we have already achieved since the acquisition towards an exciting future and sustainable success.”
“David’s arrival as CEO comes at a crucial time for the club and I am confident that he will prove to be an excellent fit for the role,” said Jamie Reuben, director. “He brings a wealth of experience in leadership positions at some of the biggest names in world sport, with an incredibly strong foundation to build upon.”
Mr. Hopkinson brings more than 25 years of senior executive leadership and commercial expertise across three countries, delivering results for some of the world’s most iconic and valuable sporting organizations. He joins Newcastle United after serving as president and chief operating officer at Madison Square Garden Sports, where he led the business operations of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
Previously, as global head of partnerships at Real Madrid, Mr. Hopkinson served on the executive team as they cemented their place as one of the world’s most valuable football clubs. Earlier, he spent over two decades at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment as chief commercial officer, overseeing commercial activities for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.
“I have known Darren for many years and he is a special person as well as an outstanding executive,” said Mr. Hopkinson. “The progress made by the club under his stewardship is hugely impressive. It’s an honor for me to embark on the next step of the club’s journey with ownership and the executive team. Darren has been incredibly supportive in our conversations and I look forward to working with him as we begin the transition of the CEO role.”
Professional Association Football Club
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The team competes in the Premier League, the first level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 season.
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CAA Executive Search is a division of the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The firm serves companies across sports, media, entertainment, technology, consumer brands, gaming, music, and more, as they set out to hire senior leaders across all functions. CAA has completed more than 2,000 searches for its clients across industries, which include American Airlines, Apollo, a16z, A+E Networks, Acushnet, BlackRock, Blackstone, Cartier, College Football Hall of Fame, CBS, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Ford Motors, Ford Foundation, Gucci, Hearst, Indeed, KKR, L Catterton, Live Nation, MGM Resorts, Moderna, Nederlander, The New York Times, Nordstrom, Paramount, Patagonia, Phillips 66, Prada, Kering, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Riddell, Save The Children, Shore Capital, TB12, Uber, Under Armour, Vail Resorts, Walgreens, and Zoom.
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Since its launch in 2016, Mr. Simons and his business partner Joe Becher have built the preeminent sports, media, and entertainment executive search practice in the world. Mr. Simons oversees the division’s international business, and personally represents clients across all major continents. His client roster includes sports leagues and franchises, major rights holders, technology companies, esports leagues and franchises, gaming publishers, live entertainment promoters, national governing bodies, sports betting companies, traditional and new media businesses, agencies, global brands, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, venture capital funds, and high-net-worth individual investors.
Mr. Simons has cross-functional expertise from a placement standpoint, and focuses on board-level, C-level, and senior executive hiring. He also has a track record of working with clients on deeper, more strategic human capital partnerships, providing advisory services across diversity and inclusion best practices, governance and corporate structuring, compensation and reward schemes, succession planning, and human capital due diligence and reviews pre- and post-acquisition.
Mr. Cooke is a partner at CAA Executive Search. Based in London, he joined CAA in 2019 and works in partnership with clients to secure top-level talent. Mr. Cooke leads mandates across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East within the wider sports and entertainment sector. Cooke specializes in the division’s high-profile football searches, and has placed CEOs and sporting directors across major leagues. Mr. Cooke comes from a finance background, having trained as a chartered accountant before transitioning into executive search. He began his career in the field at a city-based boutique firm, placing finance executives across multiple industries.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
