Romy Gai has been named Fifa’s new chief business officer, replacing Kay Madati who joined world soccer’s governing body less than nine months ago.
Madati was appointed chief commercial officer of Fifa in July 2021, having held roles at Twitter, Viacom, Facebook, Time Warner and LinkedIn. Madati took over from Simon Thomas, who left Fifa in October 2020 just over a year after taking the job.
Fifa said Madati’s departure was for personal reasons, with Madati himself citing a wish to focus on his family.
Madati will remain with Fifa until the end of June 2022 to support the commercial division in managing the transition period.
Gai arrives from management consultancy AWE International Group, where he has been chairman since 2015. Prior to that, he was chief executive of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Football League, and chief revenue officer and marketing director at Italian soccer giants Juventus.
