Dan Mackenzie
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Dan MacKenzie is a Canadian sports administrator and marketing executive. He has served as president of the
Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey L ...
since September 2019. He served as the vice-president and managing director of
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA) Canada from 2014 to 2019, and previously worked for
The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language sports specialty channel established by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1984 as part of the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels. Since 2001, it has been majority-owned by comm ...
. During his tenure with NBA Canada, he implemented marketing strategies targeted to younger demographics to grow the game in Canada, and he increased the NBA presence using television, advertising, social media and community involvement. He oversaw events which included managing the development
NBA Global Games The NBA Global Games are a series of games featuring NBA teams that are played outside the United States and Canada. Its purpose is to bring teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) to play games against either another NBA team or a for ...
in Europe,
3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...
tournaments in Canada, the
NBA Canada Series The NBA Canada Series are a series of basketball games featuring National Basketball Association teams that are played in Canada. History The first official series started in 2012 although previous preseason games have been played in Canada outsi ...
, and the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.


Early life and education

MacKenzie was born and raised in
Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
, Ontario, and is a former school teacher. He played ice hockey as a youth in Guelph, and attended
Guelph Platers The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Ontario Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They were originally known as the CMC's un ...
games. He completed a
Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...
degree in marketing at
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...
in 1992, a
Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
degree at
Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...
in 1995, the sport and event marketing program at
George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...
in 1997, and a
Master of Management The Master of Management (MM, MBM, MIM, MMgt) is a master’s degree comprising one or two years graduate level coursework in business management. As the program is designed for students interested in entering leadership roles, the degree attra ...
in sport at
Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
in 2019.


Canadian basketball

MacKenzie began working for
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA) Canada in 1998, managing events and development of basketball in Canada. From December 2002 to October 2003, he led an NBA project to host exhibition games in Europe as part of
NBA Global Games The NBA Global Games are a series of games featuring NBA teams that are played outside the United States and Canada. Its purpose is to bring teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) to play games against either another NBA team or a for ...
. He worked for
The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language sports specialty channel established by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1984 as part of the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels. Since 2001, it has been majority-owned by comm ...
as the senior marketing manager from October 2003 to October 2004. He returned to NBA Canada in October 2004 as its director of marketing until September 2006. He was promoted to be NBA Canada's general manager in October 2006, and its managing director in January 2011. He was named vice-president and managing director of NBA Canada in January 2014, and serves in the same capacity as of August 2019. MacKenzie brought in corporate partners to sponsor NBA events which included
3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...
tournaments in Canada. By 2008, he had working relationships with partners
Parmalat Canada Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA. Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the se ...
,
Speed Stick Speed Stick is an American brand of deodorant/antiperspirant produced by multinational healthcare company Colgate-Palmolive. It was formerly known as "Mennen Speed Stick" prior to Colgate-Palmolive's purchase of The Mennen Company. Currently, t ...
and the
Wrigley Company The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational chewing gum (Wrigley's gum) company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is wholly owned by Mars, In ...
, and aimed to promote basketball in Canada specifically to a young and diverse demographic. In 2013, ''
Financial Post The ''Financial Post'' was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new ''National Post'',"Black says Post to merge with new paper". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 23, ...
Business'' noted that NBA revenue in Canada grew 224% since 2008, and MacKenzie attributed the growth to marketing strategy combined with the sport's appeal to the young
Asian Canadians Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Asia. Canadians with Asian ancestry comprise both the largest and fastest growing group in Canada, after European Canadians, with roughly 19 ...
demographic. He noted that recent trends of
immigration to Canada According to the 2021 Canadian census, immigrants in Canada number 8.3 million persons and make up approximately 23 percent of Canada's total population. This represents the eighth-largest immigrant population in the world, while the proport ...
showed people were coming from countries where basketball was already a popular sport. He also noted there was significant support from
Filipino Canadians Filipino Canadians ( French: ''Canadiens philippins''; Filipino: ''Mga Pilipinong Kanadyense'') are Canadians of Filipino descent. Filipino Canadians are the fourth largest subgroup of the overseas Filipinos and one of the fastest-growing groups ...
and
Chinese Canadians , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = Chinese Canadian population by province.svg , image_caption = Chinese Canadians as percent of population by province / territory , pop = 1,715,7704.63% of the ...
, and felt it was related to the former
Philippine Basketball League The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars. History The PBL was formed on Ma ...
and NBA efforts in China including exhibition games, skills programs, and coaching programs. He also targeted first-generation Canadians as a market for basketball. From 2010 to 2013, the growth rate for Canadians participating in basketball increased 16%. As of 2010, basketball was the most popular team sport in Canada from the ages of 12 and 17. MacKenzie attributed this to basketball being "easy and inexpensive to play, and a safe sport". He also noted that since the
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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
began play in 1995, "what you are seeing now with the growth of the sport, is the first generation of kids who have grown up with the NBA being a strong element in their lives". MacKenzie aimed to increase apparel sales, social media presence and broadcasts for basketball in Canada. He stated that in 2013,
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
basketball apparel sales had increased 103% in one year, and that the NBA was recognized by
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
as one of the top-engaged brands on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
in 2013. He wanted to increase accessibility of NBA basketball games in Canada through
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
packages which included
NBA League Pass NBA League Pass is the National Basketball Association's direct-to-consumer subscription-based product that gives basketball fans access to NBA games, live and on-demand, for the entire NBA season. League Pass is available to viewers in the Un ...
to see Toronto Raptors and other out-of-town games. He stated that broadcast ratings grew approximately 19% in one year. As of 2013, fans could view up to 300 games per year on television. He used local events to engage new fans, which coincided with the
NBA Canada Series The NBA Canada Series are a series of basketball games featuring National Basketball Association teams that are played in Canada. History The first official series started in 2012 although previous preseason games have been played in Canada outsi ...
beginning in 2012. He also wanted to ensure leaving a legacy in those communities, which including upgrades to local recreational and basketball facilities. In 2013, the NBA added a "Play Ball" section to its web site in English and French, to facilitate increased player registrations in youth clubs across Canada. In 2013, MacKenzie was part of Toronto's successful bid to host the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, and stated that "the time was right" to bring the event outside of the United States for the first time. He estimated that it would bring $80 million to $100 million into Toronto's economy. He also announced contracts with
Air Miles Air Miles is a group of loyalty programs operated by different companies in each region where the brand operates. The programs are available in Canada, the Netherlands and the Middle East. Points are earned on purchases at participating merchan ...
and
Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...
, and said that Canadian-based sponsors were coming onboard due to the growing fan base in Canada, highlighting that the NBA had 650,000 Canadian followers on Twitter by 2016. In May 2019, MacKenzie stated the NBA had reached a peak in Canadian sponsorship to date, with 32 partners including
Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in t ...
,
Molson Coors Brewing Company The Molson Coors Beverage Company is an American-Canadian multinational drink and brewing company incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law and headquartered in Golden, Colorado and Montreal, Quebec. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 t ...
and the
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal c ...
. He also noted the increasing number of Canadians playing in the NBA in recent years. He said that during the playoff run leading Toronto's victory in the
2019 NBA Finals The 2019 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2018–19 NBA season, 2018–19 season and conclusion of the 2019 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. In the best-of-seven playoff series held ...
, the Canadian audience from outside of Ontario grew, viewership increased 163% and sales of NBA merchandise rose 26% from the previous season, and that basketball's popularity in Canada was at an all-time high. In June 2019, he announced a partnership with
Canada Basketball Canada Basketball (CB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada. ...
to create a Junior NBA Leadership Council to promote programs offered to local youth community groups, and expanded television coverage of the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
to be available via
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...
, TSN and
NBA TV Canada NBA TV Canada is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). It is a Canadian version of NBA TV, broadcasting programming focused on the National Basketball Association, and its Canadian franc ...
. MacKenzie resigned effective August 15, 2019, and was succeeded by Leah MacNab.


Canadian Hockey League

On July 30, 2019, the
Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey L ...
(CHL) announced MacKenzie was hired as its first full-time president. CHL president David Branch said that, "Dan has a unique combination of league operations, sports marketing and business experience along with being a former school teacher. His experience will help the CHL continue to grow and expand our programs and player experience". MacKenzie has stated he looks forward to building on the relationships that CHL teams have with their communities. He took over in September 2019 from Branch, who had served as president since 1996. In October 2019, MacKenzie stated it was a priority to grow the CHL's brand and build upon the experience for players and spectators, and to bring national events such as the
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
to smaller communities. He also stated the need to promote the CHL's scholarship program, which exceeds a $10-million investment each year for the future of players who have careers outside of hockey. On October 16, 2019, MacKenzie announced
Kubota Kubota machine is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, p ...
as the title sponsor of the
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event in which forty of the top NHL Entry Draft eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other in an all-star game environment. Players are able to boost their draft ranking ...
beginning with the 2020 event. In November 2019, he announced that
Wawanesa Insurance Wawanesa Insurance—officially The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, also known as Wawanesa Mutual or simply Wawanesa —is a Canadian mutual insurance firm, as well as among Canada's ten largest property and casualty insurers. The company's h ...
had partnered with the CHL for a Christmas
Toy drive A Toy drive is a charity event that collects toys or money for them to be distributed to those in need. Overview This is usually for the celebration of Christmas. Volunteers are brought together to sort through toys to wrap and sort for age appro ...
. In March 2020, the CHL and its constituent leagues cancelled the remainder of the 2019–20 regular seasons, playoffs and the 2020 Memorial Cup, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in North America The first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 in North America were reported in the United States on 23 January 2020. Cases were reported in all North American countries after Saint Kitts and Nevis confirmed a case on 2 ...
. MacKenzie stated a desire to begin the 2020–21 on its normal schedule, but would wait until public health authorities deem it is safe to play. He also stated no decision has been made to restart play without fans in attendance as proposed in some professional leagues.


Personal life

MacKenzie resides in Guelph, Ontario, and is married with two children as of 2019. He became a volunteer board member for the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada (SMCC) in 2010, and was elected its new chairman in January 2013. He stepped down from the SMCC in 2015. He later volunteered for the board of directors of Licensing Industry Merchandiser's Association Canada, and has been a committee member for the sports celebrity festival hosted by
Special Olympics Canada Special Olympics Canada is a national organization founded in 1969 to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence and social skills through sports training and competition. About The group is a national non-profit grassroot ...
.


Awards

MacKenzie was named one of the George Brown College alumni ''Five to Watch'', and received the college's Alumni Achievement Award. He served as co-chairman of the ''Five to Watch'' event in 2013.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacKenzie, Dan Living people 21st-century Canadian businesspeople Basketball people from Ontario Brock University alumni Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian Hockey League executives Canadian marketing people Canadian schoolteachers Canadian sports executives and administrators George Brown College alumni Ice hockey people from Ontario McMaster University alumni National Basketball Association league office executives Ohio University alumni Sportspeople from Guelph Year of birth missing (living people)