Panthers Alumni Caldwell & Thornton Join NBA Teams
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Matthew Caldwell is leaving his position as President and CEO of the Florida Panthers after 11 years.
He will become the CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
Shawn Thornton is also leaving the Panthers, stepping down as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to become a Senior Vice President and Chief Partnership Officer with the Atlanta Hawks.He joined the Panthers’ executive staff in 2017.
Caldwell joined the Panthers in 2014 and was promoted to CEO after two years.
He was instrumental in reshaping the Panthers into a successful franchise, including hiring Bill Zito as General Manager.
caldwell oversaw increases in ticket sales, TV viewership, and sponsorship revenue.
He led deals for local media rights (Bally Sports, Scripps Sports) and arena naming rights (Amerant Bank).
Before the Panthers, Caldwell served five years as a Captain in the U.S. Army, with deployments in Iraq and Kosovo.
He previously worked as a Vice President at Goldman Sachs and holds a J.D.and MBA from Northwestern University.
Panthers owner Vincent Viola acknowledged Caldwell’s immeasurable impact and stated the institution won’t be able to replace him.
* The Timberwolves and Lynx were recently sold to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
