Catie Griggs, president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners, has been named to Sports Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Class of 2022.
The annual prize recognizes “the best young talent” in the world of sport. Out of 400 nominees, Griggs and 39 other executives are highlighted for excellence and innovation in their careers, all before the age of 40. The awards will be presented on November 15 at Chelsea Piers in New York. Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Awards are presented by Anheuser-Busch, MGM Resorts and TurnkeyZRG.
Griggs was named president of Mariners business operations on July 27, 2021, making her the first woman to hold the senior executive title in Mariners history and becoming the highest-ranked female business executive in the Major League. Baseball. During his brief time with the Mariners, Griggs led the development of a strategic plan for all of the organization’s business operations in 2022 and beyond, focusing on key areas:
Griggs oversees all Mariners front office business functions, including stadium operations, finance and systems, legal and community impact, ticketing, corporate partnerships, marketing and communications and people and Culture. For the next 16 months, Griggs will lead the Mariners and community planning for Major League Baseball All-Star Week 2023 events to be held in Seattle and T-Mobile Park.
Prior to joining the Mariners, Griggs spent the previous four years as business manager for Atlanta United. Under his leadership, since their debut in 2017, Atlanta United led Major League Soccer in average attendance in every season from 2017 to 2019. And despite COVID restrictions, they also led MLS in total and average attendance in 2020 and 2021.
Prior to joining Atlanta United, Griggs worked for Futures Sport & Entertainment, a global cross-platform media and sponsorship analytics consultancy that is part of the Interpublic group of agencies. She launched the company’s US operations in 2015 and led it to significant growth before her departure. She came to Futures Sport & Entertainment after five years at Turner Broadcasting where she held a variety of roles including strategy, business operations, strategic partnerships and business development, and media rights negotiations.
A native of North Carolina, Griggs earned his BA (in government) from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Catie and her husband, Justin, have two children. They live in North Seattle.
