US entertainment and event venue groups Madison Square Garden (MSG) Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment have named Allen Lo as both companies’ next chief legal officer, replacing general counsel Laura Franco, who left last year.
Lo joins from Meta, where he was deputy GC. As CLO of both MSG and Sphere Entertainment, he will oversee all corporate legal affairs and manage the companies’ legal teams. He will also work closely with both companies’ senior leadership to advise on business strategy, transaction opportunities and governance.
He will report directly to MSG and Sphere CEO and executive chairman Jim Dolan. Lo is due to join on 30 March.
MSG owns New York sports and entertainment venues including Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, among others. Sphere owns the eponymously titled concert and events venue in Las Vegas.
Dolan said: “As a leader [Lo] has handled high-profile corporate and business legal matters, and his expertise will be an important addition to our legal team in support of both companies’ strategic initiatives and long-term growth.”
Lo arrives after eight and a half years at Meta, having previously been deputy GC at Google, where he was responsible for patents and IP litigation. He also previously spent just under 12 years at Juniper Networks as deputy GC.
He started his legal career in private practice at IP specialist Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner.
Lo said: “Throughout my career I have operated across a range of legal functions at innovative companies. Taking on this role with two leading companies, each pushing forward in live experiences and technology, is an opportunity I welcome, and I look forward to working with the management teams to help support strategic initiatives at both companies.”
Lo’s exit from Meta comes after the Facebook-owner hired Microsoft lawyer C.J. Mahoney as its CLO in January, replacing Jennifer Newstead who quit the social media giant to join Apple.
Franco, meanwhile, exited MSG and Sphere at the end of October last year after less than two years in the role. She joined in February 2024 from dating app Bumble. She is currently a board member at Virgin Voyages and Singapore tech business Grab Holdings.
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