Martin elected CEO of ITHF
September 10, 2014
NEWPORT, R.I. – Todd Martin, a former ATP World Tour top-5 ranked player and a current member of the USTA Board of Directors, was elected as CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum on Friday, September 5 at the Hall of Fame’s Annual Meeting. Martin has served as CEO-designate since April of this year. He succeeds Mark Stenning, who had been with the Hall of Fame for 35 years, serving as CEO since September 2000, before stepping down on Friday and moving into a consulting and board member role. Martin was elected unanimously to the position at Friday’s board meeting. In addition to serving as CEO, he will be the Tournament Director of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event. In his new role, Martin reports to the Hall of Fame’s Chairman of the Board, Christopher Clouser, and to the Executive Committee, which is comprised of 28 individuals with expertise in varying areas of tennis, business, and non-profit management.
Also at the meeting, ten new individuals, including great tennis champions, global business leaders, and tennis industry executives, were elected to serve on the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors. The newly elected board members are: Chris Combe, chairman of Combe, Incorporated, which owns major brands in the personal care industry; Phil de Picciotto, founder and president of Octagon, a leading global agency in sports and entertainment management and marketing; Russ Fradin, president and CEO of Sungard, one of the world’s leading software and technology services companies; Anthony Godsick, who is Roger Federer’s longtime agent and founder and president of TEAM8, a global sports and entertainment agency; Anne Hamilton, a community leader in Newport, R.I. and the founder of the Newport Antiques Show; Hall of Famer Peachy Kellmeyer, who has been a leader for the WTA for more than 40 years and has played a critical role in the development of women’s tennis around the world; nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2009; Lee Styslinger III, chairman and CEO of Altec, Inc., a global provider of products and services to the electric and telecom industries; and Kristian Tear, chairman of NOTE AB, a member of the Advisory Board for RiverMeadow Software, Inc., and former chief operating officer for BlackBerry. As CEO of the Hall of Fame, Todd Martin was also elected to the Board of Directors.
“The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum Board of Directors voted unanimously last week to name Todd Martin as the organization’s new CEO. We are thrilled to welcome Todd to this new leadership role for the Hall of Fame. He’s been working side-by-side with Mark Stenning for several months, and they have ensured a smooth transition. Todd brings a lot to the position – a unique perspective of the sport, strong relationships, and an eagerness to move the Hall of Fame forward. He’s a great leader and he’ll be an asset to the organization,” said ITHF Chairman of the Board Christopher E. Clouser, who is entering the final year of his term as chairman. He will be completing his second three-year term as chairman of the board in September 2015.
Clouser continued, “Our new board members bring a variety of expertise and talent to the organization from around the world. Their active participation will be very helpful in our efforts to preserve the global history of tennis and to provide a premier landmark for tennis fans, while honoring the game’s greatest champions and most influential contributors. We are grateful for their support and are very pleased to welcome these ten talented, committed individuals to the Board of Directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.”
The new members of the Board of Directors will begin their terms immediately. Each will serve the organization in various capacities ranging from oversight of the extensive museum to development of the Hall of Fame’s annual ATP World Tour tennis tournament and Hall of Fame enshrinement programs, as well as in other important departments such as fundraising and marketing. Following are brief biographies of the new board members.
Chris Combe has served as chairman of Combe Incorporated, a leader in the personal care industry, since 2000. He started his career in sales and marketing at American Hospital Supply Corporation (Baxter). He joined Combe Incorporated in 1975, developing and eventually managing the international business. In 1985, he became vice president of marketing for the company, and launched Just For Men hair color. In 1995, Combe assumed the position of president, and in 2000 added the titles of chairman and CEO. He now serves as chairman of the company. He is a past chairman of the World Self-Medication Industry Association, and has been a board member of the U.S. Consumer Healthcare Products Association and U.S. Personal Care Products Council, Malaria No More, Heart Care International, and the Boy Scout Advisory Council of Westchester, N.Y. Combe is a 1970 graduate of Northwestern University, where he played on the Freshman Tennis Team. His father, Ivan Combe, won the Illinois State Doubles Tennis Championship and played on the Northwestern Varsity Tennis Team, where he was a 1933 graduate. The Combe Family funded Northwestern’s Combe Indoor Tennis Center and the Outdoor Tennis scoreboard and seats. Combe was elected to Northwestern’s Board of Trustees in 1997 and serves on the Visiting Board of Arts & Sciences.
Phil de Picciotto is the founder and president of Octagon. In 1983, de Picciotto co-founded Advantage International, which became Octagon, and for three decades he has helped build it into the global leader in talent representation, property ownership, event management, and sports and entertainment marketing. de Picciotto has also built the brands and managed the careers of many of the world’s most recognizable and talented athletes and celebrities- from Super Bowl champions and Olympic gold medalists, to royalty and network broadcasters. He has served as an advisor to government leaders, the executives of national governing bodies, and the CEO’s of some of the world’s leading corporations. In recognition of his accomplishments, he has received many accolades including Advertising Age’s “The Marketing 100” as one of the world’s top marketing professionals; Sporting News’ “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Sports”; and SportsBusiness Journal’s “20 Most influential People: Sports Agents” and “Top 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business.”
Russ Fradin is president and CEO of Sungard, one of the world’s leading software and technology services companies, and also serves on its Board of Directors. Before joining Sungard in May 2011, he was chairman and CEO of Aon Hewitt, having previously overseen the successful merger between Aon Consulting and Hewitt Associates in September 2010. Prior to joining Aon Hewitt, he was the president and CEO of BISYS group, a financial services administration firm, and he held various executive positions at Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP). Fradin holds a Masters degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in economics with a concentration in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Anthony Godsick is Roger Federer’s longtime agent and the president and founding partner of TEAM8, the boutique sports agency. In addition to Federer, the agency represents tennis players Juan Martin del Potro and Grigor Dimitrov. Godsick is a veteran of the sports management industry. Prior to forming TEAM8, Godsick was a senior vice president at IMG for 20 years having managed the careers of other No. 1 players including Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport. Godsick is married to Mary Joe Fernandez, a former WTA Tour star, 2-time Olympic Gold medalist and French Open and Australian Open finalist. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
Anne Hamilton is an active community leader in Newport, R.I. She is the founder of the annual Newport Antiques Show, which benefits the Newport Historical Society and the Boys and Girls Club of Newport County. She also serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Newport Historical Society and Fort Adams Trust in Newport. In Pennsylvania, she serves on the boards of the Academy of Music, Agnes Irwin School, Philadelphia Antiques Show, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Philadelphia Hospitality. She has also served on a number of event committees including The Brandywine Conservancy, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Community Clothes Charity, The Franklin Institute, The Kimmel Center, and Philadelphia Zoological Society. Hamilton is a 1976 graduate of Pine Manor College and a 1978 graduate of Boston University.
Peachy Kellmeyer was enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011 in recognition of her tremendous contributions to the growth of women’s tennis. She was hired as the very first employee of the WTA in 1973, and for more than 40 years she has played a critical role in the development of women’s tennis around the world. She has led WTA operations, player, and tournament relations and has been at the center of all major policy decisions. Today, she serves as executive consultant of tour operations for the WTA. During Kellmeyer’s tenure, the number of WTA events increased from 23 domestic tournaments to 53 events in 33 different countries, attracting more than 5 million in-stadium fans annually. In 1966, while serving as physical education director at Marymount College, Kellmeyer spearheaded a lawsuit that ultimately led to the dismantling of an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women rule that had prohibited athletic scholarships from being awarded to female athletes at colleges across the nation. The landmark case paved the way for Title IX and contributed greatly to the increase of female athletes in intercollegiate athletics.
Todd Martin is the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and the Tournament Director for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. He has been working full-time at the Hall of Fame since April of this year, and he moved into the position of CEO on September 5. Since retiring from his playing career on the ATP World Tour in 2004, Martin has remained highly engaged in the tennis industry. He began serving a second term as a Director at Large on the USTA Board of Directors in January 2013, having previously served on the board from October 2011 through December 2012. He is currently the board liaison to the Youth Tennis Council. Previously, Martin was the board liaison to the Pro Tennis Council and was a member of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Team Events Committee. In 2012, he launched Todd Martin Tennis, which focuses on junior tennis development. Also in recent years, Martin has served as a coach and spent time working with Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish. Martin was ranked world No. 4 on the ATP World Tour in the 1990s, and he was a finalist at the 1999 US Open and the 1994 Australian Open. He was a mainstay on the U.S. Davis Cup team, helping the U.S. capture the title in 1995. Martin attended Northwestern University, playing varsity tennis for two seasons (1988-90). In his sophomore season, he led the Wildcats to a Big Ten championship and earned All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year honors, finishing the year ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Nine-time Grand Slam tournament champion Monica Seles was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009 in recognition of her remarkably successful tennis career. In addition to her nine major titles, she won 53 singles titles and six doubles tournaments. Her first French Open title was won at the age of 16 and she first became No. 1 in the world in March 1991. Seles was No. 1 for 178 weeks during the next two years- the youngest No. 1 ever at the time. Since her retirement, Seles has been focusing on her work in the area of health and lifestyle. Her second book “Getting a Grip: On My Mind, My Body and Myself” was published in 2009 and was a national best-seller. She has also published a young adult fiction book titled “The Academy – Game on” and, in April 2014, she published her second young adult novel in The Academy series called “Game of Love.” She is chairman of the World Sports Forum of the Global Millennium Development Foundation, a board member of the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, and a board member of the Institute for Civic Leadership plus an Ambassador for The Dwight Global Leaders Academy.
Lee Styslinger, III is the chairman and chief executive officer of Altec Inc., a company that designs, manufacturers, and markets equipment for the electric and telecommunications industries in over 100 countries throughout the world. He serves on the boards of Regions Financial Corporation (RF), Vulcan Materials Company (VMC), Harvard Business School, Northwestern University, U.S. Olympic Ski Team and Children’s Hospital. He is a member of The Business Roundtable. Styslinger is a graduate of Northwestern University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Kristian Tear, a native Swede, is chairman of the board of NOTE AB, an advanced specialized electronics contract manufacturer, listed on Stockholm NASDAQ OMX; and he is also an advisory board member of RiverMeadow Software Inc., a privately held Silicon Valley based cloud software company. He previously served as chief operating officer for BlackBerry, where he led sales, design, product, operations, and R&D, and as executive vice president of Sony Mobile and head of sales and marketing. Previously he held numerous executive positions at SonyEricsson and Ericsson around the globe. At SonyEricsson he led the Western European region and all Global Customer Accounts. At Ericsson he was president for the regions of Southeast Asia, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and Central America. Over the past 17 years, he and his family have lived in Canada, Germany, U.K, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Mexico and he speaks five languages. During his tenure SonyEricsson sponsored the WTA, created the successful HotShot program for talented young female players, and sponsored the SonyEricsson Open in Miami. Tear holds a Masters of Science from the Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden and attended the Ericsson Executive MBA program at Colombia University. Before university studies, he played tennis at KLTK in Stockholm.