Tom Anselmi (born ) is a Canadian

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

. He is currently employed by the OEG (Oilers Entertainment Group) serving as the President of Business Operations and Chief Operating Officer. He had previously served as a Business Manager with the Ottawa Senators and as the President and

Chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...

for

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) is a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With assets that include franchises in four of the six major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

from 2011 to 2013. Anselmi is an alumnus of

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

and

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

Career

Early career

Anselmi started his sports career in 1987 and helped to develop the SkyDome in Toronto. Anselmi served as Vice President, General Manager of Arena Operations at

Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment Canucks Sports & Entertainment, previously known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, is a Canadian sports and entertainment company in Vancouver, British Columbia that owns and operates the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, the Van ...

in Vancouver.

MLSE

Anselmi had a 17-year career at

; a corporation that owns

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

and

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

. Anselmi was with the company between December 1, 1996 and 13 September 2013. and he was promoted to

Chief Operating Officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if ...

of MLSE in 1999, and Executive Vice-President and COO in 2004. Anselmi was named President of MLSE after an eight-month search, while also continuing to hold his position of COO. However, Anselmi did not receive the title of CEO position that he sought when he was promoted. Anselmi's tenure as President ended on June 30, 2013, when

Tim Leiweke Timothy J. Leiweke (born April 21, 1957) is an American sports executive who is the chief executive officer of the Oak View Group. Leiweke was the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and former President and CEO of ...

was hired as President and CEO of MLSE, though Anselmi still retained the title of COO. Anselmi kept his office as COO when Leiweke reshuffled the senior management team on July 24, 2013. Anselmi resigned from MLSE on September 13, 2013. Anselmi's position had been weakened since he was the top executive in charge of Toronto F.C., which despite being successful financially, had never made the MLS playoffs. ;Reputation Anselmi is "well noted" for his arena, real estate and broadcast projects since joining the company in 1996. MLSE Chairman

Larry Tanenbaum Lawrence M. Tanenbaum (born 1945) is a Canadian businessman and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). He owns a 25% stake in MLSE through his holding company Kilmer Sports Inc. Early life Tanenbaum was born to a Jewish family, ...

stated "Tom's proven strength in operations has made him a respected leader here at MLSE and across the sports and entertainment industry." He was credited with having the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena ( French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Ra ...

completed on budget and on time. He was also known as a "down-to-earth operator who preferred blue jeans to suits and favoured snowmobiling over more rarefied pursuits".

Ottawa Senators

On January 25, 2017, Anselmi joined the Ottawa Senators organization. The Senators won the right in 2016 to build a new arena on federal land in downtown Ottawa, and one of Anselmi's highest priorities was to oversee the negotiations and the construction of the new arena. Anselmi submitted his resignation to the Senators in early January 2018, and the club announced his departure February 9, 2018.

Personal life

Anselmi was born in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. Originally an engineer, Anselmi studied landscape architecture at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and engineering at the

. Anselmi helped build the Rogers Centre and Rogers Arena. In 2011, Anselmi received the Chief of Defence Staff commendation; the highest military honour a civilian can receive. He is a member of the board of directors of Covenant House, and Canada's Walk Of Fame. Previously, he was a Vice-Chair of the Toronto Board of Trade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anselmi, Tom 1950s births Living people Businesspeople from Toronto Canadian business executives Canadian chief executives Canadian people of Italian descent Chief executives in the sports industry Chief operating officers Edmonton Oilers executives Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ottawa Senators executives People from Etobicoke Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Toronto Maple Leafs executives University of Saskatchewan alumni