Overview

Gender

male

Michael Friisdahl was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) in October, 2015. MLSE is one of the world’s premier sports and entertainment companies as owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBA D-league) and Toronto FC II (United Soccer League) and hosts more than 3.8 million fans each year at its venues.

In addition to its sports franchises, MLSE’s LIVE division has established Scotiabank Arena as one of the leading music and entertainment venues in the world, bringing hundreds of world-class shows to the building each year. Scotiabank Arena was recently named by Billboard as the seventh busiest concert venue in North America and ninth-ranked facility in the world for concert attendance. MLSE enjoys a strategic partnership with Live Nation Entertainment, the largest entertainment company in the world and market leader in concert promotions with over 80% global market share, designed to grow entertainment opportunities across Ontario and market the respective venues including Scotiabank Arena, Coca-Cola Coliseum and Budweiser Stage. MLSE LIVE events attract more than 1 million attendees to MLSE’s venues each year.

MLSE’s entertainment properties includes popular restaurant destinations Real Sports and E11even, both located just steps from Scotiabank Arena. More than 2.5 million fans are fed each year at Scotiabank Arena combined with another 1 million who dine at Real Sports and E11even.

As part of the company’s facilities management, MLSE owns and operates Scotiabank Arena, hosting more than 70 million fans over 3,500 events since the building’s opening in 1999. MLSE has also invested in four of Toronto’s sports facilities — Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the Marlies; BMO Field, home of Toronto FC and Toronto Argonauts; Lamport Stadium; Ford Performance Centre, the practice facility for the Maple Leafs and Marlies and OVO Athletic Centre, the practice facility of the Toronto Raptors. MLSE operates and manages events at Coca-Cola Coliseum and BMO Field.

MLSE Foundation, who works to change lives through the spirit and power of sport, has invested $24 million into the community since launching in 2009. In February, 2017, the MLSE Foundation opened the doors to MLSE LaunchPad, a 42,000 square foot youth-focused Sport-For-Development facility and the company’s most important community initiative to date.

In 2016, MLSE and its venues hosted some of the world’s preeminent events including the first-ever NBA All Star Weekend to be played outside the United States, the World Cup of Hockey, the Grey Cup, which was played at BMO Field, the 2017 World Juniors Hockey Championship (with Montreal’s Bell Centre) and the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic. In 2016, MLSE also re-opened BMO Field after the completion of a $150 million renovation and opened a new $50 million training facility for the Toronto Raptors.

Early in his tenure as MLSE CEO, Friisdahl oversaw a strategic review of the company which led to the implementation of VISION 2020, a long-term corporate strategy designed to best position MLSE for success within an evolving sports and entertainment industry, foster company growth and to generate new revenue streams. VISION 2020 is an all-encompassing road map to fully engage all of the organization’s stakeholders, including employees, corporate and community partners and fans in the pursuit of winning and community building. The strategy has been recently updated through 2023.

Friisdahl previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada’s Leisure Group since it was formed in 2012, combining Air Canada Vacations tour operations with Air Canada rouge, the company’s successful leisure airline. With Friisdahl at the helm, Air Canada rouge saw significant growth and has been an important contributor to Air Canada’s very successful transformation.

After the launch of Air Canada rouge with four aircraft serving 13 destinations, Friisdahl grew the airline to include a total of 34 planes and offered competitively priced travel to more than 75 routes in Europe, Mexico, the U.S., the Caribbean, Asia, South America and Canada.

Air Canada rouge, through a partnership with the Disney Institute, built a unique culture focused on customer engagement, along with applying next-generation communications technology to create an engaging and customer friendly experience. Air Canada rouge was one of the first airlines in North America to offer streaming inflight entertainment to its customers’ own devices.

Friisdahl brings an extensive background in customer service, marketing and sales management, finance, mergers and acquisitions, and business integration to his role at MLSE. Prior to joining the Air Canada executive team, Friisdahl was CEO of Thomas Cook North America and a member of the international Group Executive Board of Thomas Cook Group plc. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of Thomas Cook Canada and later North America.

Entering the industry as an entrepreneur in the mid-1980s, Friisdahl successfully built a travel wholesale business that merged to create The Holiday Network and become Canada's leading independent wholesaler, specializing in independent travel packages. As a partner and President and CEO of The Holiday Network, he continued to grow the business until its acquisition by Thomas Cook Group plc (formerly MyTravel plc), which led to his move into the corporate and international spheres.