Former NBA exec Fischer to head UFC Asia
Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta announced at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference that Mark Fischer has been hired as…
Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta announced at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference that Mark Fischer has been hired as Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of UFC Asia.
A sports industry veteran, Fischer has spent the past 20 years working in Asia. Most recently, in 2009, he founded Sports & Entertainment Asia Ltd (SEA), which provides strategic marketing and representation services to sports properties seeking opportunities in China and other Asian markets. Prior to establishing SEA, Fischer worked for 12 years at the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Asia and was responsible for the development of the NBA’s businesses and operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
From 2003 to 2008, Fischer led the NBA’s explosive growth in China, overseeing the expansion of the league’s branding and basketball development initiatives in China. During this period, Fischer built NBA China’s on-ground operations in Beijing and Shanghai and cultivated more than 20 marketing partnerships with leading multinational and domestic brands. He spearheaded a full range of on-ground events such as the NBA China Games and other integrated media and marketing initiatives as well as established the NBA’s groundbreaking partnership with the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena. These achievements, in combination with his pivotal role in a $253 million investment road show, led to the establishment of NBA China in late 2007 as a separate corporate entity valued at more than $2 billion.
Fischer joined the NBA and established NBA Taiwan, Ltd. in 1997 before being promoted to Senior Director of Marketing Partnerships and Events for NBA Asia, Ltd., a regional position headquartered in Hong Kong, in 1999.
Before his position with the NBA, Fischer worked as Vice President of Richina Media Holdings Ltd. in Beijing, where he established an advertising and sports marketing agency and launched Chinese editions of several foreign content publications.
The UFC continues to gobble up as much talent outside the Octagon as it does inside the Octagon. Last year, the UFC tapped Digital Royalty’s Amy Martin as lead consultant for the company’s social media strategy. In May, the organization added former CFL commissioner and Adidas executive Tom Wright to spearhead its Canadian effort. Now, Fischer and his wealth of Chinese experience have been added to the fold.
There are only so many hours in a day. Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta can’t be everywhere and do everything for the UFC. Perhaps more importantly, Dana and Lorenzo cannot hope to understand the many nuances and complexities of every international market they’re seeking to enter. That’s why these moves are so important.
Kudos to White, Fertitta, and the UFC for having the wisdom to find and hire local market experts. Fischer may or may not know the MMA game, but I’m sure he’ll learn just as Tom Wright has.
