Tom Anselmi (born ) is a Canadian

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

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 (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

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), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

and

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

Career

Early career

Anselmi started his sports career in 1987 and helped to develop the

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

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 Va ...

in Vancouver.

MLSE

Anselmi had a 17-year career at

; a corporation that owns

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

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 are owned by Maple Leaf 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 (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

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 A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

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 businessman who is the chief executive officer of Oak View Group. He was the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and the former president and CEO of Anschutz ...

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 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 (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

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 and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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

. Anselmi helped build the

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to t ...

and

Rogers Arena Rogers Arena, (formerly General Motors Place), is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, arena at 800 Griffiths Way in the Downtown Vancouver, downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General ...

. 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 chief executives Canadian people of Italian descent Chief executives in the sports industry Canadian 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 Year of birth missing (living people)