Vivid Seats Announces Key Leadership Appointments


CHICAGO, April 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vivid Seats Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAT), a leading marketplace that utilizes its technology platform to connect millions of buyers with thousands of ticket sellers across hundreds of thousands of events each year, today announced the appointment of Riva Bakal to the new role of Chief Product and Strategy Officer, and Ted Pickus to Chief Accounting Officer.

“Over the past year we’ve added extensive experience to our leadership team in order to position Vivid Seats for long-term growth. As we continue to invest in talent and support our proven leaders, these promotions were natural choices,” said Stan Chia, Vivid Seats CEO. “I have been consistently impressed by Riva and Ted’s dedication and unfailing execution of our company’s strategic vision, during their tenure. They are both talented leaders who bring a depth of experience that will allow us to continue to move our business forward and deliver shareholder value.”

Chia continued, “Since joining Vivid Seats, Riva’s expertise has been instrumental in driving our product strategy, corporate development, and user experience roadmap, and we are thrilled to promote her to this new role. With a deep understanding of our business, Ted has distinguished himself over nearly a decade at Vivid Seats, strengthening our financial prowess and making him an ideal choice to continue enhancing our accounting systems. We are privileged to have two tremendous leaders of this caliber within our ranks and look forward to the ways in which Riva and Ted will build on our momentum in their expanded leadership roles.”

Riva Bakal has served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product at Vivid Seats since February 2021 and previously served as Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development since she joined the company in 2019. Prior to Vivid Seats, Bakal held a variety of senior positions across functions at Grubhub from 2016 to 2018, most recently serving as Vice President of Market Operations. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Over the last three years, it has been incredibly rewarding to be part of Vivid Seats’ growth and evolution into a leading technology platform,” said Bakal. “As we enter this next era for Vivid Seats, I look forward to leading our talented product and strategy teams, to continue to innovate across our platform, creating exceptional experiences for our customers and supporting our seller and partner growth.”

Ted Pickus has served as Vice President of Accounting at Vivid Seats since 2018 and previously held several leadership positions since he joined the company in 2013. He holds a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and is a Certified Public Accountant.

“It has been a privilege to take part in so many milestones over the last nine years at Vivid Seats and I look forward to working with our amazing team to execute on the many opportunities that lie ahead of us,” said Pickus.

About Vivid Seats

Founded in 2001, Vivid Seats is a leading online ticket marketplace committed to becoming the ultimate partner for connecting fans to the live events, artists, and teams they love. Based on the belief that everyone should “Experience It Live”, the Chicago-based company provides exceptional value by providing one of the widest selections of events and tickets in North America and an industry leading Vivid Seats Rewards program where all fans earn on every purchase. Vivid Seats has been chosen as the official ticketing partner by some of the biggest brands in the entertainment industry including ESPN, Rolling Stone, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Through its proprietary software and unique technology, Vivid Seats drives the consumer and business ecosystem for live event ticketing and enables the power of shared experiences to unite people. Vivid Seats is recognized by Newsweek as America’s Best Company for Customer Service in ticketing. Fans who want to have the best live experiences can start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, going to vividseats.com, or calling 866-848-8499.

Contacts:

Media
Julia Young
Julia.Young@vividseats.com