CAA Hires Top NFL Executive as Chief Operating Officer

Creative Artists Agency is bringing on a major new addition to tis C-suite.

The agency has hired Dasha Smith to serve as its chief operating officer.

Smith joins CAA from the NFL, where she was executive VP and chief administrative officer. At the NFL, Smith was one of commissioner Roger Goodell’s top deputies, overseeing a wide array of business functions including technology, AI and innovation, data and analytics, strategy and business intelligence, human resources, inclusion, social responsibility and philanthropy, and league office administration.

She will take that operational experience to CAA where she will work with the agency’s senior leadership to run its day-to-day operations.

“Dasha is a remarkably talented, accomplished and energetic leader with a deep understanding of how global organizations operate at their very best,” said CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd. “We look forward to welcoming her to our senior management team and benefiting from her significant experience helping to guide leading media and sports organizations.”

“I have tremendous respect for the industry leadership position that CAA and its management team continue to build on every year,” added Smith. “Even greater is my appreciation for its widely admired, consistent mission to deliver the best possible service and resources to its clients. Joining a culture with that kind of clarity and purpose is an extraordinary opportunity.”

Before joining the NFL Smith was executive VP and global chief human resources officer for Sony Music Entertainment and also worked in senior roles at Time Inc. for nearly 10 years.