Learfield Taps Longtime Univision Exec as New CFO
Multimedia rights giant Learfield has hired longtime media executive Peter Lori as its new chief financial officer. Lori, who most recently spent 17 years at Univision and served as the Spanish-language television network’s CFO from 2018-2021, will start his new role immediately.
“Pete is a recognized leader in his profession, and we’re thrilled to have him join Learfield,” Cole Gahagan, Learfield president and CEO, said. “As we continue to remain intently focused on innovating for our school and brand partners, he brings a wealth of knowledge from inside a respected media company.”
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Lori will report to Gahagan as a member of Learfield’s leadership team. The new CFO will replace Temple Weiss, who had previously served as Learfield’s dual chief operating and financial officer since 2017 and saw the company through its $2 billion, Department of Justice-monitored merger with IMG College. Weiss stepped down this month.
Learfield, whose current client roster includes roughly 200 athletic departments and major conferences such as the Big 12, will not search for a new COO.
Lori’s tenure at Univision culminated with the media company’s $4.8 billion merger with Grupo Televisa, which was finalized earlier this year. The mega-merger brought their vast combined Spanish-language media and content holdings throughout Mexico and the U.S. under one umbrella and enabled the creation of a global streaming business.
Prior to Univision, Lori was a partner at both KPMG and Arthur Andersen serving global Fortune 500 accounts.
The hire comes as Learfield’s business is adapting in a rapidly changing college athletics climate. With new competition and evolving needs for school partners, Gahagan has pushed the company, which is part-owned by sports and entertainment conglomerate Endeavor, deeper into technology, media and data and analytics.
“The company is uniquely positioned at a very exciting time in intercollegiate athletics,” Lori said. “I look forward to working alongside Cole and the entire leadership team to drive profitable growth.”
