TKO Group, the publicly listed combined ownership company of mixed martial arts promotion UFC and professional wrestling promotion WWE, has appointed Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Sana Shuaib to a senior commercial role.
Shuaib will serve as senior vice president of partnership marketing, and digital.
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In the role, she will lead marketing and commercial strategy for all partnerships across TKO’s global sports and entertainment portfolio, including for UFC, WWE, and Professional Bull Riders, and will be tasked with securing new partnerships and renewing existing brand relationships.
Shuaib joins TKO from MLS and the league’s Soccer United Marketing commercial arm, where she most recently served as senior vice president of partnership marketing, integrated marketing solutions, and commercial insights.
She spent almost six years with the North American league, during which time she played a key role in securing renewals with premier partners, including Audi, Coca-Cola, Allstate, and BodyArmor.
She has also previously worked in senior marketing roles at Hyatt Hotels and FedEx.
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By GlobalDataGrant Norris-Jones, executive vice president of TKO Global Partnerships, has said: “Sana built her career on developing transformative partnerships and integrated marketing strategies with industry-leading brands.
“One of her greatest strengths is her ability to deliver for partners in unique and innovative ways, and we look forward to adding the depth of her expertise to our group.”
The move reunites Shuaib and Norris-Jones after the pair previously worked together at basketball's NBA.
Meanwhile, TKO has also promoted Brit Santypal to senior vice president of operations.
Santypal, who has worked on the UFC and TKO global partnerships teams for more than a decade, will oversee the revenue strategy and marketing solutions teams with a focus on refining all aspects of global partnerships operations and driving strategic initiatives across the business.
Norris-Jones commented: “Since 2019, Brit has been instrumental in leading the partnership marketing team for UFC, and following the integration of the UFC and WWE global partnerships teams into one unit 18 months ago, Brit has been essential in applying that same successful model for partner servicing and renewals across TKO.”
TKO Group combined the commercial teams of UFC and WWE in January 2024, with Norris-Jones, who previously held senior commercial roles at UFC for over seven years, elevated to lead the integrated unit.
He was chosen to head up the combined sales team, having been credited with playing a key role in driving UFC’s global partnerships to six consecutive years of record revenue.
TKO recently announced a 4% increase in revenue for the first quarter (Q1) of 2025. The company’s financial results for the period ending March 31 showed revenue climbed to $1.27 billion, up $46.4 million from the prior year.
