Fanatics has appointed Andrew Low Ah Kee as CEO of Fanatics Commerce, the company’s largest business unit, effective immediately. Low Ah Kee is replacing former Fanatics Commerce CEO Doug Mack, who announced his retirement last month, and will report to Michael Rubin, Chairman and CEO of Fanatics. Mack will stay on through the rest of this year to ensure a smooth transition and will continue as a special advisor to Rubin and Fanatics in the future.
Fanatics Commerce is the company’s global omnichannel business that handles the design, manufacture and sale of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear and non-apparel hard goods. Over the past decade under Mack’s leadership, the division has transformed from a domestic ecommerce company into a global business with its own real-time, on-demand manufacturing capabilities.
“As we focus on further building our Commerce business and doubling down on creating the best overall fan experience, we were looking for a proven executive who is obsessed with creating elite customer experiences, utilizing innovation for growth, scaling companies globally, producing strong financial results, building renowned brands and establishing strong teams and internal culture,” said Rubin in a statement. “Andrew is the right leader to take our Commerce business to new heights, and I am thrilled to have him on the team.”
Low Ah Kee brings more than 20 years of wide-ranging expertise to the company, most recently as President of residential real estate ecommerce platform Opendoor. During his tenure the company more than doubled the number of markets it operated in, added new partners, improved its unit economics and customer experience and went public. Prior to Opendoor, Low Ah Kee was the COO of GoDaddy, where he was instrumental in the company’s transformation from a U.S.-centric seller of domain names to a global provider of software for small businesses. Before joining GoDaddy, he held roles at KKR Capstone and the Boston Consulting Group.
“Sports have the unique ability to build bridges and connections across otherwise divided lines,” said Low Ah Kee in a statement. “In joining Fanatics, I have the incredible opportunity to connect my love for sports with my passion for building brands and taking an athlete’s pursuit of excellence to everything that we do — customer experience, product quality and innovation and our culture — all with the goal of delivering increased value to our fans and partners.”
While the Commerce division remains the largest segment of Fanatics’ business, the company has been steadily moving beyond its core of licensed sports merchandise over the last few years with major pushes into sports collectibles and live commerce as well as partnerships with other retailers, including HSN, Foot Locker, Nordstrom and Macy’s.
