TORONTO – Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Richard Peddie will retire from the company on December 31, 2011.
Peddie was named MLSE’s inaugural president and CEO in February 1998. Under his leadership, MLSE has expanded its growth and reach from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Air Canada Centre to include three sports networks — Leafs TV, NBA TV Canada and GOLTV Canada. He also helped to add two more sports teams — Toronto FC and the Toronto Marlies, plus led MLSE’s private sector investment and involvement to build BMO Field, Canada’s first soccer specific stadium, in addition to other real estate deals.
"I’m very proud to have led a company that is arguably one of the finest sports and entertainment companies in the world," Peddie said Tuesday in a statement. "This is the right decision for me and I felt it was time. The last 13 years at MLSE have been terrific and a lot of fun."
The company said that it has formed an executive search committee to search for Peddie’s successor.
