The sports arm of industry heavyweight Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has revamped its commercial partnership operations in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region through the appointment of Seijan Gahng to the newly created role of vice president of partnerships.
In his new role, Gahng will lead CAA Sports APAC on securing regional partnerships for its clients and activating those in the region.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Based in Seoul, South Korea, he will report directly to CAA Sports APAC president Adrian Staiti and the global co-heads of the agency’s sports property sales business, Alexa Cook and Rob Slocum, and will also collaborate with the executive vice-president in APAC for partnerships and strategic development, Samantha Peihua Chen, on growing the team.
Gahng joins CAA from rival agency Endeavor, which he joined in June 2022 in its business development department.
Prior to that, he also served as the director of the business department for the T1 South Korean esports organization.
Straiti commented on Gahng’s appointment, saying: “As one of the most influential producers of cultural trends, and home to many of the world’s most prominent companies, Korea is an important market to the agency.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“Seijean brings a wealth of experience to CAA Sports APAC from his work with the leading esports team T1 and, more recently, his role at Endeavor, where he was instrumental in identifying strategic business opportunities across the organization.
“His deep understanding of the agency landscape, combined with strong local market relationships, makes him an ideal addition to our team.”
CAA Sports boasts partners such as motor racing’s Formula 1, the Red Bull Racing F1 team, esports organization Riot Games, and T1 Entertainment, and English soccer giants Chelsea. It also represents individual talent, including South Korean soccer star Son Heung-Min.
The agency launched its APAC division in 2021, when Staiti was appointed as the unit’s president operating out of its Singapore office.
Staiti joined CAA from agency Sportfive, where he had been president of APAC and president of global sales for over 10 years, and was joined by Chen, who relocated from CAA’s London office.
CAA has been majority-owned since 2023 by Artemis, the investment firm of the French Pinault family.
The company’s property sales division claims to have secured over $1 billion in sponsorship transactions last year for its clients.
