Phil Atkinson Email Address

Vice President Information Technology and Information Security Officer

Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for more than 100 collegiate institutions. Its rich history includes four decades of developing trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. The company has prominence in all of the major conferences and titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors' Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. Learfield represents collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas for their respective multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives, and offers these partners with professional concessions and ticket sales, licensing and trademark consulting, digital platform expertise and venue signage and technology systems through its owned companies.

From the time I was very young, I’ve been fascinated by technology (electrical, mechanical, compute) and that natural curiosity has fueled an insatiable desire to learn and develop over the years. I feel blessed to have spun that ability into a long career in a field that never stops evolving. What I enjoy most... Contributing to building and growing a company; developing and executing a technology vision that enables the business and employees to thrive. Developing teams so that lasting and rewarding careers are possible. Work should be productive but also fun and fulfilling; get the right folks on the bus, with the right environment, and let them run. Transformation is often difficult, but always promising and exciting to chase... not just with systems, but especially culture. What I'm most proud of... Navigating significant merger, acquisition, and integration efforts of various sizes and complexities; mostly on budget, on time, and without major disruption. Putting together a talented and highly productive team that genuinely cares for and supports one another. Implementing performance indicators that drive service improvements, reduce cost, and result in staffing ratios that exceed far larger and better-funded companies. Developing and launching a successful security and compliance program. What I typically spend time doing... Working with leadership and business stakeholders to develop strategic roadmaps to ensure technology aligns, drives, and contributes to an organization. Developing, establishing, and driving a security and compliance program and culture across the organization Developing and establishing best practices and policies for support teams, infrastructure, telecom, development, security, and compliance. Drive collaboration across a multi-business organization leading to coordinated, careful, and responsible management of various technical resources. When not at work... old muscle cars and large-format (film) photography keep me busy, assuming my chores are done.