OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Athletics have hired Ashwin Puri as Vice President of Strategy and Business Operations, the club announced today. In his role, Puri will spearhead many of the team's growth initiatives, overseeing the commerce, strategic planning, and data analytics functions. Puri will join the front office on September 5.
"Under Ash's leadership, Cal made tremendous progress," said Oakland A's Chief Operating Officer Chris Giles. "His extensive experience across a broad array of business functions will be a key asset to our organization."
Prior to joining the A's, Puri was the University of California's Senior Associate Athletics Director, Chief Revenue Officer. While at Cal, Puri was responsible for managing ticket sales and service, premium seating, advertising, licensing, marketing, creative, brand and CRM units. He created an outbound sales and service team, an improved customer service program and redefined the overall fan experience. Puri has additional experience with the NBA's team marketing and business operations division and as director of sales with the New York Jets. An Oakland resident, Puri was named to the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Class of 2017.