Fanatics Names Andrew Low Ah Kee Its Next Commerce CEO
Fanatics has hired Andrew Low Ah Kee to be the next CEO of its core merchandise business, filling a critical leadership role in advance of a potential IPO in the coming years.
As CEO of Fanatics Commerce, Low Ah Kee will run the company’s largest vertical, which covers licensed fan gear, jerseys, apparel and hardgoods. The business grew to annual sales of roughly $5 billion under current CEO Doug Mack, who announced his retirement last month.
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Low Ah Kee, who will start immediately, has experience within both e-commerce and publicly traded companies. He was most recently president of real estate marketplace Opendoor (Nasdaq: OPEN), and before that, COO of GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY). Both companies went public via IPO during his time there.
“We were looking for a proven executive who is obsessed with creating elite customer experiences, utilizing innovation for growth, scaling companies globally, producing strong financial results, building renowned brands and establishing strong teams and internal culture,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said in a statement. “Andrew is the right leader to take our commerce business to new heights.”
Rubin sits atop the overall Fanatics business, which in 2021 was restructured into three main verticals—Fanatics Commerce (to be run by Low Ah Kee), Fanatics Betting & Gaming (run by CEO Matt King) and Fanatics Collectibles (run by CEO Mike Mahan). Rubin has long planned to take Fanatics public, and while those plans were put on hold as the company jumped into new businesses, it is expected to pursue that option within the next year or two.
Fanatics Commerce operates the Fanatics.com shop, plus stores for dozens of sports teams, leagues, colleges and governing bodies around the world. They include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1 and IOC.
Low Ah Kee will be based in Fanatics’ Silicon Valley office, and report directly to Rubin. Mack will stay on through the end of the year to help with the leadership transition and will remain as an advisor to Rubin moving forward.
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