UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of April 2023
Commission File Number: 001-40799

 

 

 

SPORTRADAR GROUP AG

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Feldlistrasse 2

CH-9000 St. Gallen

Switzerland

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F  x           Form 40-F  ¨

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

Chief Financial Officer Update

 

On April 26, 2023, Sportradar Group AG (the “Company”) announced that it will appoint Gerard Griffin, age 55, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective May 9, 2023. Mr. Griffin, who will be based in St. Gallen in the future, will be responsible for the Company’s accounting, finance and investor relations operations, and report to CEO and founder Carsten Koerl.

 

Mr. Griffin brings more than 25 years of leadership experience to the Company in financial and operational management within the gaming, media and technology sectors. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Zynga Inc., a global leader in interactive entertainment, from September 2016 to July 2022. Before joining Zynga, Mr. Griffin spent more than 10 years at Electronic Arts Inc., serving as Senior Vice President of Finance where he was the finance leader for EA’s Studios, Marketing and Publishing organizations, after having spent more than six years in Geneva, Switzerland, as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for EA International. Prior to that, Mr. Griffin held several senior finance roles domestically and internationally at technology and media companies, including NBC Universal and Primedia, and in public accounting with KPMG in both Dublin and New York. Mr. Griffin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Galway and a postgraduate diploma in Professional Accounting from University College Dublin. Mr. Griffin is a fellow in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland.

 

On April 26, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Mr. Griffin as the Company’s new Chief Financial Officer. A copy of the press release is being furnished as Exhibit 99.1 herewith.

 

Board of Directors Update

 

On April 24, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing that Chuck Robel has decided he will retire from the Board of Directors and not stand for reelection at the Company's annual general meeting of shareholders to be held on May 16, 2023 (the “AGM”) in St. Gallen, Switzerland. With the exception of Chuck Robel, all other current members of the Board of Directors will stand for re-election, and the Board of Directors has proposed the nominations of Ms. Rajani Ramanathan and Mr. Bill Kurtz for election at the AGM as new members of the Board of Directors. Biographies of the new candidates as well as the AGM notice and invitation can be found online at https://investors.sportradar.com/financials-filings/annual-reports. A copy of the press release is being furnished as Exhibit 99.2 herewith.

 

This Report on Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-259885).

 

Exhibit 
Number
  Description
     
99.1   Press Release of Sportradar Group AG, dated April 26, 2023. 
     
99.2   Press Release of Sportradar Group AG, dated April 24, 2023.

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: April 26, 2023

 

  SPORTRADAR GROUP AG
   
  By: /s/ Carsten Koerl
  Name: Carsten Koerl
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Sportradar Names Technology Growth Executive Gerard Griffin as Chief Financial Officer

 

ST. GALLEN, April 26, 2023 – Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) today announced that Gerard Griffin has been named Chief Financial Officer of the company, effective May 9, 2023. Mr. Griffin most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Zynga Inc., a global leader in interactive entertainment. Mr. Griffin, who will succeed Uli Harmuth, will be based in St. Gallen in the future and will be responsible for the company’s accounting, finance and investor relations operations. He will report directly to CEO and founder Carsten Koerl.

 

Mr. Griffin brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in financial and operational management within the gaming, media and technology sectors. During his time as CFO of Zynga, which included oversight of the company’s accounting, finance and investor relations functions, Zynga sharpened its operating model and delivered a marked improvement in revenues, profitability, and cash flow.

 

Before joining Zynga, Mr. Griffin spent more than 10 years at Electronic Arts Inc., serving as Senior Vice President of Finance where he was the finance leader for EA’s Studios, Marketing and Publishing organizations, after having spent more than six years in Geneva, Switzerland, as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for EA International. Prior to that, Mr. Griffin held several senior finance roles domestically and internationally at technology and media companies, including NBC Universal and Primedia, and in public accounting with KPMG in both Dublin and New York.

 

Carsten Koerl, CEO and Founder, Sportradar said: “I am pleased to welcome Gerard to the Sportradar executive management team. As a highly accomplished CFO with relevant experience across several sectors, we are confident that he will bring discipline and strategic focus as we continue to drive growth and profitability around the world. Gerard will be a strong addition to the management team as we deliver results and continue to position Sportradar as the leading sports technology business globally. I also would like to thank Uli Harmuth for stepping in as interim CFO. His partnership and dedication in this role have been tremendously appreciated. I am pleased that Uli will continue to serve as our Chief Strategy Officer and be an integral part of our executive management team.”

 

Mr. Griffin said: “I am very happy to be joining Sportradar which has established itself as the leader in the sports technology industry. The team’s excellent track record of innovation and growth well positions the company to capitalize on the exciting opportunities ahead. I look forward to working closely with Carsten and the rest of the Sportradar team to deliver exceptional value for clients, partners, and shareholders.”

 

About Sportradar

 

Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD), founded in 2001, is a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Positioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, the company provides sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators with a best-in-class range of solutions to help grow their business. As the trusted partner of organizations like the NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, UEFA, FIFA, Bundesliga, ICC and ITF, Sportradar covers close to a million events annually across all major sports. With deep industry relationships and expertise, Sportradar is not just redefining the sports fan experience, it also safeguards sports through its Integrity Services division and advocacy for an integrity-driven environment for all involved.     

 

For more information about Sportradar, please visit www.sportradar.com  

 

Media 

Sandra Lee 

comms@sportradar.com 

 

Investor Relations 

Rima Hyder 

investor.relations@sportradar.com 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.2

 

Sportradar Announces Nomination of Two New Directors at

Upcoming 2023 Annual General Meeting

 

ST. GALLEN, April 24, 2023 – Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) today announced that two highly experienced executives, Rajani Ramanathan and William Kurtz, will stand for election as independent members of its Board of Directors at the company’s annual general meeting of shareholders, on May 16, 2023 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In addition to Ms. Ramanathan and Mr. Kurtz, the candidates for the seats include seven incumbent directors advanced by the board.

 

Ms. Ramanathan currently serves as an advisor and director to several public and private technology companies in the AI, VR, Blockchain, and connected (IoT) technology space. Currently, Ms. Ramanathan is a member of the board of directors of ESI Group, a French publicly traded company providing virtual prototyping software solutions and services. She has also chaired ESI’s Technology and Marketing Committee and since September 2022 she has chaired ESI’s Compensation Committee and the Nomination and Governance Committee. In addition, she serves on the boards of Guidewire Software, Faro Technologies, and Hayden AI. From 2000-2014, she had served in a variety of leadership roles at Salesforce, most recently as its Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President – Technology and Products.

 

Mr. Kurtz has over 30 years of experience as a chief financial officer and chief operating officer in several high-growth technology equipment and software companies and likewise sits on several corporate boards. Mr. Kurtz currently sits on the board of directors of Aterian Inc., a Nasdaq listed company where he serves as lead independent director and as a member of the audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance committees, and on the board of Ripcord, Inc. where he serves on the audit committee. Also, since September 2016 he has served on the board of Verint Systems Inc., a Nasdaq-listed analytics company, as chairman of its audit committee and as a member of the governance committee. Mr. Kurtz has held several senior executive positions, most recently as Interim Chief Executive Officer at Ripcord, Inc. Prior to that, he had served as chief financial officer and chief commercial officer of Bloom Energy Corporation, a manufacturer of on-site power generation platforms. Other senior finance roles include Novellus Systems (now Lam Research), Engenio Information Technologies, 3PARdata, Scient Corporation, and AT&T Corporation. If elected, the company expects Mr. Kurtz will chair the audit committee.

 

Additionally, Mr. Robel, who has served on the board since September 2020, will retire from the company’s board this year and will not stand for re-election at the annual general meeting. In his role, Mr. Robel has chaired the audit committee since September 2020 and was instrumental in the successful IPO of Sportradar.

 

Jeffery Yabuki, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “On behalf of the entire board of directors, we thank Chuck Robel for his outstanding service to Sportradar. His contributions have been meaningful, significant, and greatly appreciated. We know Chuck will remain a friend and supporter of Sportradar.”

 

 

 

 

Added Yabuki, “I’m excited about the prospect of both Rajani Ramanathan and William Kurtz joining the Sportradar board at this important time. Their highly relevant experiences – both individually and collectively – will deliver valuable perspective as Sportradar continues its rapid growth trajectory in this incredibly exciting space.”

 

Full biographies of the new candidates as well as other information pertaining to the Annual General Meeting may be found online at https://investors.sportradar.com/financials-filings/annual-reports

 

About Sportradar

Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD), founded in 2001, is a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Positioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, the company provides sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators with a best-in-class range of solutions to help grow their business. As the trusted partner of organizations like the NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, UEFA, FIFA, Bundesliga, ICC and ITF, Sportradar covers close to a million events annually across all major sports. With deep industry relationships and expertise, Sportradar is not just redefining the sports fan experience, it also safeguards sports through its Integrity Services division and advocacy for an integrity-driven environment for all involved.   

 

For more information about Sportradar, please visit www.sportradar.com 

 

Media

Sandra Lee

comms@sportradar.com

 

Investor Relations

Rima Hyder

investor.relations@sportradar.com