Arizona Coyotes CEO and leadership

Xavier A. Gutierrez was named as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Alternate Governor of the Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club on June 8, 2020. In this role, Mr. Gutierrez oversees all business operations, strategic planning, significant organizational decision-making, and government relations for the club.

Mr. Gutierrez is the first Latino President & CEO in the history of the National Hockey League. He joins the Coyotes from his position as Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group. Mr. Gutierrez has a 20+ year career as a business executive, investor and dealmaker focused on investment management, corporate strategy & operations, finance and business development.

As Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group, Mr. Gutierrez focused on investments, operations, strategic development, and investor client servicing & outreach. Mr. Gutierrez was based in the firm's Santa Monica, California headquarters and was a member of Clearlake's Executive Committee and contributor to its Investment Committee. Clearlake is a leading private investment firm founded in 2006, managing over $24 Billion of institutional capital since inception whose senior investment principals have led or co-led over 200 investments in technology, industrials and consumer companies. Mr. Gutierrez is a member of Clearlake's Executive Council, comprised of senior business and investment executives who provide strategic counsel to Clearlake and its portfolio companies.

Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served as Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Group, the family office of US Latino business executive and Coyotes Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo, and President & Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Investment Partners, the firm's investment affiliate. At Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez oversaw investments and acquisitions, and was responsible for deal origination, underwriting, execution, and capital sourcing. He also helped lead the strategic management of 40-plus portfolio companies across industries including: Banking & Financial Services; Hospitality & Gaming; Media; Infrastructure; Restaurant & Food Services; Real Estate; Public Equity; and Private Equity.

Prior to Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez was Principal & Managing Director with Phoenix Realty Group, a national real estate private equity firm managing approximately $1 billion in institutional capital from leading public pension funds, banks and insurance companies. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez has held positions with the law firm of Latham & Watkins, the investment bank Lehman Brothers, and worked as a financial analyst in the League Office of the National Football League.

Mr. Gutierrez is currently a Shareholder and serves on the Board of Directors of Commercial Bank of California (CBC). CBC is a privately held, full-service commercial bank based in Los Angeles/Orange County with over $1.5 billion in assets, making it the largest Latino-owned bank in California.

From January 2016 until September 2017, Mr. Gutierrez was appointed and served as a voting member of the US Securities Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies, which provided a formal mechanism for the SEC to receive advice and recommendations on privately held small businesses and publicly traded companies with a market capitalization less than $250 million. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez previously served on the Board of Directors of Sizmek, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: SZMK), an advertising technology company.

Mr. Gutierrez has been very active with several non-profit, academic, and philanthropic organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), a public charitable foundation managing approximately $1 billion in assets to improve the quality of life in Arizona by promoting and facilitating effective philanthropy. Mr. Gutierrez is also on the Aspen Institute Latinos & Society Program Advisory Board which is committed to increasing Latino access to opportunity and inclusion in the economy by gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders to address US Latino economic development. He also serves as a member of the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), an organization of leading CEO's in the business, education, philanthropy and public policy sectors to improve economic vitality and quality of life in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez is on diversity and inclusion within the league's organizations. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Pro Sports Assembly, a community of leaders in professional sports

In addition, Mr. Gutierrez also serves on the Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the national organization focused on providing NHL's Executive Inclusion Council which is comprised of a group of owners, team presidents and general managers geared toward ensuring, advancing diverse and inclusive leadership in teams, leagues and unions.

Mr. Gutierrez serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), a Washington DC-based trade association founded in 1971 that serves as the largest network of diverse-owned and emerging private equity firms and hedge funds in the United States.

Mr. Gutierrez also serves on the Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the national organization focused on providing financial support for US Latinos to pursue higher education. Mr. Gutierrez proudly serves on the Board of Regents of his alma mater, Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA).

Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served on the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of the California Community Foundation (CCF), a public charitable organization founded in 1915 that stewards nearly $1.7 billion in assets and manages more than 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies for the greater Los Angeles community. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez served on the Board of Directors of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the national organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the 4million+ Hispanic/Latino-owned businesses in the United States. Mr. Gutierrez also previously served on the Board of Trustees for Southern California Public Radio, on the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA), the Board of the Harvard Club of Southern California, the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and the Young Alumni Committee of the Harvard Alumni Association.

Mr. Gutierrez is a proud graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts (AB) cum laude in Government from Harvard University, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Stanford Law School. Mr. Gutierrez, his wife Jericca, and son Xavi live in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Alex Meruelo Jr. joined the Coyotes organization in August 2019.

He serves as the team's Chief Brand Officer and works closely with Coyotes' President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez, President of Business Operations Pat Murphy, and General Manager Bill Armstrong.

Alex is also the Chairman of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation and is very involved with the team's community and fundraising efforts.

Alex grew up in Newport Beach, CA, and was a student at Mater Dei High School. He attended the University of Southern California, graduating from the Marshall Business School in 2019.

Liz Montaño joined the organization in April 2021 to serve as the club's new Chief Strategy Officer. In her role, Montaño is responsible for strategic planning, corporate development, and investment analysis.

Montaño has over 15 years of experience in consulting, venture capital and entrepreneurship, specializing in new media and entertainment. She joins the Coyotes from Panavision, where she served as Vice President of Finance & Strategy. In her role she was responsible for the company's global financial strategy and corporate development initiatives.

Before her time at Panavision, Montaño worked as a business consultant, supporting both early-stage and Fortune 500 companies. Notable projects included serving as interim COO for a burgeoning start-up in the health and wellness industry focused on the launch of a pay-as-you-go video streaming app, strategic analysis for a financial services company's entry into Europe and APAC markets, and leading the successful raise of three funds totaling $100M for an investment firm.

Prior to consulting, Montaño worked as an Associate at Syncom Venture Partners, a media and communications venture fund managing $400M+ in capital. In her role, she analyzed prospective deals and worked closely with portfolio companies to develop go-to-market plans, propose product pricing and bundling, and assess potential acquisitions. She also spent time at Maya Entertainment as Vice President of Strategic Planning where she was responsible for overseeing all strategic initiatives related to partnerships, film acquisition, worldwide content distribution and movie theatre development projects.

In addition to her work, Montaño has a passion for sports and fitness, and founded, developed, and exited a Los Angeles-based fitness brand that grew to five locations and 1,250+ members.

Montaño holds a M.A. in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and a M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

Lowell Heit was hired as the Coyotes Chief Financial Officer on June 11, 2020. Heit brings to the Coyotes over 20 years of experience in the professional sports and entertainment industry.

Prior to joining the Coyotes, Heit served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Florida Panthers & BB&T Center. Before joining SSE, Heit spent five years with the National Football League and eight years with the National Hockey League.

Heit served as Director of Finance for the NFL, directing the overall accounting, financial management and strategic planning for NFL Business Ventures, including the Corporate Sponsorship, Consumer Products, Marketing, International, NFL Network and Digital Media Sales, and E-Commerce divisions.

Prior to the NFL, Heit served as Director of Finance for the NHL, where he oversaw all member club financial reporting for League Operations, including budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning and special long-term projects.

Most recently, Heit spent seven years working as a partner with Genesis Management Group where he advised licensing and marketing clients in various areas including strategic direction, financial planning and controls, contract negotiations and renewals.

Heit, a native of New Jersey, is a graduate of the George Washington University where he was a member of the Colonial's tennis team. Heit and his partner Rhiannon reside in Scottsdale.

Anthony LeBlanc is a President, Chief Executive Officer at Arizona Coyotes and is based in President Chief Executive Officer.

Christina Litz joined True North Sports + Entertainment's leadership team in May 2021, in the newly created role of Chief Brand & Commercial Officer (CBCO).

After achieving a Bachelor of Arts and law degree from the University of Manitoba, Litz's career took her to Toronto in 1997 where she first worked as an Associate for Torys LLP before taking the role of Director, Business & Legal Affairs at Bell Media-owned CHUM Radio & Television. In ensuing years, Litz took her expertise to some of Canada's largest communications and media corporations at TELUS and Rogers Media, before joining Corus Entertainment as Vice President, Digital Content & Engagement.

Litz then transitioned into the sports and entertainment industry, joining the Canadian Football League in 2014, advancing to the role of Chief Marketing, Digital & Strategy Officer. Most recently, Litz has served as Vice President, Media, Digital, Business & Revenue Development for the Woodbine Entertainment Group, where she led all customer-facing business development, digital strategy, broadcast, content and social media for Canada's largest horse racing and multi-dimensional entertainment venue. Additionally, Litz serves on the board of the Canadian Academy of Recording Artists (The JUNO Awards) and MusiCounts.

As the newest member of True North's leadership team, Litz's role as CBCO is to champion True North's brand - taking on the challenge of advancing True North's commercial strategy, integrating existing and new revenue, commercial, marketing, broadcast, digital, and brand functions currently being executed by a talented and experienced team at True North.

Litz returned home to Winnipeg with her husband Brad and their two children, Archer and Isla.

Lorna Daniels joined True North as Senior Director, Finance in 2011 and was named to her current role of VP, Finance & CFO in June 2014. In her current role, Lorna is responsible for the oversight of budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, and reporting for the multiple stakeholders for True North Sports + Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club, and its various operating subsidiaries.

Lorna came to True North after working as a Senior Manager in the auditing department for the accounting firm KPMG in Winnipeg, where she obtained her Chartered Accountant designation. While at KPMG, Lorna was active in various training initiatives. Lorna, a lifetime Manitoban, attended the University of Manitoba earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Lorna actively participates in golf, hockey, and volleyball leagues throughout Winnipeg.

Steve Patterson (born 1958 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin) is a former American sports executive. He most recently served as the president and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Patterson is the former athletic director of the University of Texas, and the former president and general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Xavier A. Gutierrez was named as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Alternate Governor of the Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club on June 8, 2020. In this role, Mr. Gutierrez oversees all business operations, strategic planning, significant organizational decision-making, and government relations for the club.

Mr. Gutierrez is the first Latino President & CEO in the history of the National Hockey League. He joins the Coyotes from his position as Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group. Mr. Gutierrez has a 20+ year career as a business executive, investor and dealmaker focused on investment management, corporate strategy & operations, finance and business development.

As Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group, Mr. Gutierrez focused on investments, operations, strategic development, and investor client servicing & outreach. Mr. Gutierrez was based in the firm's Santa Monica, California headquarters and was a member of Clearlake's Executive Committee and contributor to its Investment Committee. Clearlake is a leading private investment firm founded in 2006, managing over $24 Billion of institutional capital since inception whose senior investment principals have led or co-led over 200 investments in technology, industrials and consumer companies. Mr. Gutierrez is a member of Clearlake's Executive Council, comprised of senior business and investment executives who provide strategic counsel to Clearlake and its portfolio companies.

Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served as Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Group, the family office of US Latino business executive and Coyotes Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo, and President & Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Investment Partners, the firm's investment affiliate. At Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez oversaw investments and acquisitions, and was responsible for deal origination, underwriting, execution, and capital sourcing. He also helped lead the strategic management of 40-plus portfolio companies across industries including: Banking & Financial Services; Hospitality & Gaming; Media; Infrastructure; Restaurant & Food Services; Real Estate; Public Equity; and Private Equity.

Prior to Meruelo Group, Mr. Gutierrez was Principal & Managing Director with Phoenix Realty Group, a national real estate private equity firm managing approximately $1 billion in institutional capital from leading public pension funds, banks and insurance companies. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez has held positions with the law firm of Latham & Watkins, the investment bank Lehman Brothers, and worked as a financial analyst in the League Office of the National Football League.

Mr. Gutierrez is currently a Shareholder and serves on the Board of Directors of Commercial Bank of California (CBC). CBC is a privately held, full-service commercial bank based in Los Angeles/Orange County with over $1.5 billion in assets, making it the largest Latino-owned bank in California.

From January 2016 until September 2017, Mr. Gutierrez was appointed and served as a voting member of the US Securities Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies, which provided a formal mechanism for the SEC to receive advice and recommendations on privately held small businesses and publicly traded companies with a market capitalization less than $250 million. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez previously served on the Board of Directors of Sizmek, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: SZMK), an advertising technology company.

Mr. Gutierrez has been very active with several non-profit, academic, and philanthropic organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), a public charitable foundation managing approximately $1 billion in assets to improve the quality of life in Arizona by promoting and facilitating effective philanthropy. Mr. Gutierrez is also on the Aspen Institute Latinos & Society Program Advisory Board which is committed to increasing Latino access to opportunity and inclusion in the economy by gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders to address US Latino economic development. He also serves as a member of the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), an organization of leading CEO's in the business, education, philanthropy and public policy sectors to improve economic vitality and quality of life in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez is on diversity and inclusion within the league's organizations. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Pro Sports Assembly, a community of leaders in professional sports

In addition, Mr. Gutierrez also serves on the Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the national organization focused on providing NHL's Executive Inclusion Council which is comprised of a group of owners, team presidents and general managers geared toward ensuring, advancing diverse and inclusive leadership in teams, leagues and unions.

Mr. Gutierrez serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), a Washington DC-based trade association founded in 1971 that serves as the largest network of diverse-owned and emerging private equity firms and hedge funds in the United States.

Mr. Gutierrez also serves on the Advisory Council for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the national organization focused on providing financial support for US Latinos to pursue higher education. Mr. Gutierrez proudly serves on the Board of Regents of his alma mater, Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA).

Previously, Mr. Gutierrez served on the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of the California Community Foundation (CCF), a public charitable organization founded in 1915 that stewards nearly $1.7 billion in assets and manages more than 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies for the greater Los Angeles community. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez served on the Board of Directors of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the national organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the 4million+ Hispanic/Latino-owned businesses in the United States. Mr. Gutierrez also previously served on the Board of Trustees for Southern California Public Radio, on the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA), the Board of the Harvard Club of Southern California, the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and the Young Alumni Committee of the Harvard Alumni Association.

Mr. Gutierrez is a proud graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts (AB) cum laude in Government from Harvard University, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Stanford Law School. Mr. Gutierrez, his wife Jericca, and son Xavi live in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Alex Meruelo Jr. joined the Coyotes organization in August 2019.

He serves as the team's Chief Brand Officer and works closely with Coyotes' President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez, President of Business Operations Pat Murphy, and General Manager Bill Armstrong.

Alex is also the Chairman of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation and is very involved with the team's community and fundraising efforts.

Alex grew up in Newport Beach, CA, and was a student at Mater Dei High School. He attended the University of Southern California, graduating from the Marshall Business School in 2019.

Liz Montaño joined the organization in April 2021 to serve as the club's new Chief Strategy Officer. In her role, Montaño is responsible for strategic planning, corporate development, and investment analysis.

Montaño has over 15 years of experience in consulting, venture capital and entrepreneurship, specializing in new media and entertainment. She joins the Coyotes from Panavision, where she served as Vice President of Finance & Strategy. In her role she was responsible for the company's global financial strategy and corporate development initiatives.

Before her time at Panavision, Montaño worked as a business consultant, supporting both early-stage and Fortune 500 companies. Notable projects included serving as interim COO for a burgeoning start-up in the health and wellness industry focused on the launch of a pay-as-you-go video streaming app, strategic analysis for a financial services company's entry into Europe and APAC markets, and leading the successful raise of three funds totaling $100M for an investment firm.

Prior to consulting, Montaño worked as an Associate at Syncom Venture Partners, a media and communications venture fund managing $400M+ in capital. In her role, she analyzed prospective deals and worked closely with portfolio companies to develop go-to-market plans, propose product pricing and bundling, and assess potential acquisitions. She also spent time at Maya Entertainment as Vice President of Strategic Planning where she was responsible for overseeing all strategic initiatives related to partnerships, film acquisition, worldwide content distribution and movie theatre development projects.

In addition to her work, Montaño has a passion for sports and fitness, and founded, developed, and exited a Los Angeles-based fitness brand that grew to five locations and 1,250+ members.

Montaño holds a M.A. in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and a M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

Lowell Heit was hired as the Coyotes Chief Financial Officer on June 11, 2020. Heit brings to the Coyotes over 20 years of experience in the professional sports and entertainment industry.

Prior to joining the Coyotes, Heit served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Florida Panthers & BB&T Center. Before joining SSE, Heit spent five years with the National Football League and eight years with the National Hockey League.

Heit served as Director of Finance for the NFL, directing the overall accounting, financial management and strategic planning for NFL Business Ventures, including the Corporate Sponsorship, Consumer Products, Marketing, International, NFL Network and Digital Media Sales, and E-Commerce divisions.

Prior to the NFL, Heit served as Director of Finance for the NHL, where he oversaw all member club financial reporting for League Operations, including budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning and special long-term projects.

Most recently, Heit spent seven years working as a partner with Genesis Management Group where he advised licensing and marketing clients in various areas including strategic direction, financial planning and controls, contract negotiations and renewals.

Heit, a native of New Jersey, is a graduate of the George Washington University where he was a member of the Colonial's tennis team. Heit and his partner Rhiannon reside in Scottsdale.

Alex Meruelo Jr. joined the Coyotes organization in August 2019.

He serves as the team's Chief Brand Officer and works closely with Coyotes' President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez, President of Business Operations Pat Murphy, and General Manager Bill Armstrong.

Alex is also the Chairman of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation and is very involved with the team's community and fundraising efforts.

Alex grew up in Newport Beach, CA, and was a student at Mater Dei High School. He attended the University of Southern California, graduating from the Marshall Business School in 2019.

Liz Montaño joined the organization in April 2021 to serve as the club's new Chief Strategy Officer. In her role, Montaño is responsible for strategic planning, corporate development, and investment analysis.

Montaño has over 15 years of experience in consulting, venture capital and entrepreneurship, specializing in new media and entertainment. She joins the Coyotes from Panavision, where she served as Vice President of Finance & Strategy. In her role she was responsible for the company's global financial strategy and corporate development initiatives.

Before her time at Panavision, Montaño worked as a business consultant, supporting both early-stage and Fortune 500 companies. Notable projects included serving as interim COO for a burgeoning start-up in the health and wellness industry focused on the launch of a pay-as-you-go video streaming app, strategic analysis for a financial services company's entry into Europe and APAC markets, and leading the successful raise of three funds totaling $100M for an investment firm.

Prior to consulting, Montaño worked as an Associate at Syncom Venture Partners, a media and communications venture fund managing $400M+ in capital. In her role, she analyzed prospective deals and worked closely with portfolio companies to develop go-to-market plans, propose product pricing and bundling, and assess potential acquisitions. She also spent time at Maya Entertainment as Vice President of Strategic Planning where she was responsible for overseeing all strategic initiatives related to partnerships, film acquisition, worldwide content distribution and movie theatre development projects.

In addition to her work, Montaño has a passion for sports and fitness, and founded, developed, and exited a Los Angeles-based fitness brand that grew to five locations and 1,250+ members.

Montaño holds a M.A. in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and a M.B.A from Harvard Business School.