NU Advisory Partners Assists Paciolan with President Search
July 15, 2025 – NU Advisory Partners has helped to recruit Brendan Lynch as the new president of Paciolan in Irvine, CA. “Brendan is a visionary leader with a proven track record of success in driving operational excellence, innovation, and customer engagement in the ticketing industry,” said Ben Mathan, chief strategy officer at LEARFIELD, the company that acquired Paciolan in 2017. “His experience will help us to double down on our ambitious technology innovation efforts. Brendan will bring a fresh perspective along with the perfect cultural fit to the Paciolan community that will further enhance its market-leading solutions and guide the company to meet the expanding needs of our customers.”
Mr. Lynch brings over 25 years of experience in ticketing, strategy, and digital transformation. He most recently served as the EVP of enterprise and revenue at Ticketmaster. In this role, Mr. Lynch oversaw core ticketing systems, client tools, and critical client revenue services, including analytics, marketing, and pricing solutions. He also led technology and operational innovations, including the first league-wide open digital ticketing system with the NFL, securing tickets to prevent fraud, and building dynamic pricing tools and capabilities. Additionally, Mr. Lynch oversaw strategic initiatives and successful partnerships with top-tier teams, leagues, and venues spanning multiple genres, including sports, performing arts, and concerts. Earlier in his career, he was a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company and held brand and revenue leadership roles at Beam Suntory.
As president of Paciolan, Mr. Lynch will steer the company’s strategic direction, accelerate product innovation, and enhance customer satisfaction in the rapidly evolving ticketing and live entertainment industry. Paciolan has seen significant growth over the past few years, marked by an expanding customer base and innovative mobile ticketing, data solutions, fundraising, and customer engagement offerings. Mr. Lynch will play a pivotal role in driving this momentum forward, focusing on continued digital innovation, customer satisfaction, and commerce and revenue generation solutions.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with such a talented team and the incredible Paciolan client community,” said Mr. Lynch. “I look forward to building upon the company’s success and exploring new opportunities that will allow us to better serve our customers with technology innovations in a time of unprecedented opportunity in our industry.”
Paciolan is a provider of integrated ticketing, fundraising, marketing, and data analytics solutions, primarily serving live entertainment venues, college athletics, performing arts centers, and professional sports teams. The company powers over 500 live entertainment organizations that sell over 120 million tickets per year.
In 2023, NU Advisory Partners was launched by former Russell Reynolds Associates recruiters Mar Hernandez, Libby Naumes, Meredith Rosenberg, and Nada Usina. The firm is focused on senior executive, operating, and board positions.
Trusted Advisors
Ms. Hernandez is a trusted advisor to top executives and a global expert in corporate officer placements (CHRO, CFO, GC) across financial services, fintech, telecom, and hospitality. Prior to co-founding NU, she was a senior leader in the corporate officers, DE&I, and financial services practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she co-led the Hispanic Board Initiative. With over a decade in search and prior leadership roles in global firms, she has partnered with private equity firms and Fortune 500 companies to build high-performing leadership teams.
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Ms. Naumes specializes in placing go-to-market and commercial leaders across sports, media, entertainment, technology, consumer, retail, and marketplace industries. Prior to co-founding NU, she spent 11 years at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she built the consumer digital practice and co-led the global sports practice, working with major brands and leagues worldwide. Previously, she was director of marketing and communications for NASDAQ’s Global Corporate Solutions Group.
Ms. Rosenberg is a market-leading voice in edTech, where she leverages over 25 years of experience in the education sector. A recognized leader, she is known for her innovative approach and commitment to accessibility and inclusivity. At NU, Ms. Rosenberg guides public and private companies, investors, universities, and nonprofits in navigating the evolving education landscape.
NU Advisory Partners Completes Searches for Mission Lane and Insigneo
NU Advisory Partners has recently placed Chris Bishko as chief financial officer of Mission Lane and Paul Caulfield as chief compliance officer of Insigneo. Mr. Bishko’s previous roles include general partner at Core Innovation Capital, CFO at Everly Health and Tubi, and CFO at Credible, where he played a key role during significant financial milestones. Additionally, Mr. Bishko holds advisory roles in multiple organizations, including a stealth health tech startup and Mesh, the first global payment network for cryptocurrencies. Mr. Caulfield brings to Insigneo more than two decades of experience across U.S. and international banking and wealth management institutions. His career includes leadership roles such as Chief risk and compliance officer at IBD Bank, head of compliance for Citibank’s U.S. Commercial Bank, and most recently, chief legal officer and COO at Third Bridge Group.
Before co-founding NU, Ms. Rosenberg led the global edTech practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. Her career is marked by her ability to challenge conventional thinking. She has held key roles at a number of tech and edTech-focused companies and she holds several board roles including The Perkins School, Cornell University Brooks School of Public Policy, and The Fletcher School at Tufts. She is also a former trustee of Cornell University. Her thought leadership and advocacy are informative as well as transformative, driving meaningful conversations about the future of work and education at industry events.
Ms. Usina is a recognized industry leader in board, CEO, and C-suite placements across technology, sports, media, entertainment, and industrial sectors. Prior to co-founding NU, she was on the executive committee at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she led the global technology, media, entertainment, and sports practices, shaping leadership across these industries. With over 15 years in executive search, Ms. Usina is a trusted advisor to leading PE and VC firms, Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, and boards on leadership, succession planning, and board composition. She’s held executive roles at Nokia, broadcast.com—which IPO’d and was acquired by Yahoo!, where she later held an executive role—and Comcast Ventures-backed XOS Technologies, which she successfully sold and merged with NeuLion. Ms. Usina also played key leadership roles with the Florida Sports Foundation, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and Florida State University Athletics.
Related: NU Advisory Partners Recruits COO and CFO for Legends
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
