The St. Louis Cardinals’ execs ascending this week to two of the most prominent leadership roles with the team do so “on the brink of a delicate and defining time for the organization and its industry.” mlb-st-louis-cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals’ execs ascending this week to two of the most prominent leadership roles with the team do so “on the brink of a delicate and defining time for the organization and its industry,” according to Derrick Goold of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The team on Wednesday elevated President Bill DeWitt III to CEO and SVP/Business Operations Anuk Karunaratne to President of Business Operations. Team principal owner and Chair Bill DeWitt Jr. will remain in his role. The promotions are “a formal acknowledgment of how DeWitt III’s role has grown over the past decade,” and it is a “substantive move to show the family’s commitment to ongoing ownership of the Cardinals.” DeWitt III is the third generation of the family to be involved in the club’s operations. Some of the “biggest challenges” facing the two execs include Karunaratne being “heavily involved in changing the ballpark experience,” from “embracing organic events like the ‘Tarps Off’ sensation to spurring other initiatives like Friday night games being festive, club-like and geared toward younger fans” and Sunday day games being geared toward kids. DeWitt III has been “increasingly involved in baseball operations,” and he “played a role” in the hiring of first-year President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. DeWitt III “likened Karunaratne’s rise in the organization to Bloom’s and the years spent as a senior vice president building in influence and responsibilities to then be the club president.” That “gives them both familiarity with all facets of the organization to build from” and an understanding that the “center of gravity around which the Cardinals orbit remains the product on the field” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/24).