CAA Taps NFL, Sony Music And Time Inc. Vet Dasha Smith As Chief Operating Officer

CAA has hired former NFL, Sony Music and Time Inc. executive Dasha Smith as Chief Operating Officer.

In her most recent post as EVP and Chief Administrative Officer at the NFL, Smith was a member of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Executive Operating Committee. She helped shape the league’s enterprise strategy and oversaw a broad portfolio 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.

At Sony Music, Smith was EVP, Global Chief Human Resources Officer for Sony Music Entertainment, and Managing Director, Office of the Chairman, at GCM Grosvenor, a global alternative investment firm, where she led a number of corporate functions.

During her nearly 10-year stint at Time Inc., Smith led global employee relations and employment law functions. She also served as a senior attorney in the Time Warner publishing division’s business and legal affairs department, focusing on M&A.

Smith began her legal career at Latham & Watkins, Covington & Burling, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

“Dasha is a remarkably talented, accomplished and energetic leader with a deep understanding of how global organizations operate at their very best,” CAA Co-Chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd said in a statement. “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.”

A board member at financial advisory firm CAPTRUST and investment management firm Cohen & Steers, Smith also serves as a trustee for nonprofit organizations focused on education and the arts.

“I have tremendous respect for the industry leadership position that CAA and its management team continue to build on every year,” she said in a statement. “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.”