Former President & CTO for Disney Entertainment and ESPN Aaron LaBerge has been named Penn Entertainment's new CTO.
His new role will become effective July 1 and he will report directly to Penn CEO and President Jay Snowden.
Snoweden said, “We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team.
“Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future.
"I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media.”
LaBerge’s role with the Disney Corporation included propelling all technology and product development in support of the company’s two media divisions. He was in charge of helping to develop and enact plans for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
He will be expected to do the same for Penn, leading the company’s technologists and serving as the business leader for their Interactive division.
He has also worked for ESPN as their EVP and CTO from 2015 to 2018. There he helped grow ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services, and architected their many facilities around the country.
Penn Entertainment and ESPN partnered last year to release ESPN Bet. LaBerge’s experience with both companies can certainly help ease the transition into his new role. He also helped launch one of ESPN’s more successful solo channels, the SEC Network.
“I'm excited to join another talented team at Penn Interactive and lead our technology strategy,” said LaBerge.
“Penn Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN Bet an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we'll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming.”
