PENN Entertainment adds Disney and ESPN exec as CTO
Aaron LaBerge will be responsible for leading the operator’s tech strategy and be a key leader in the firm’s interactive division
PENN Entertainment has appointed Aaron LaBerge as its new chief technology officer (CTO).
He will be responsible for driving the operator’s technology strategy and execution as well as leading a multinational team and serving as a key leader in PENN’s interactive division.
LaBerge joins the operator after more than 20 years at the Walt Disney Company, spread across two stints separated by five and a half years as the CEO and co-founder of the software firm Fanzter.
He began his career at the Walt Disney Company in 1999 when he was appointed vice-president of technology and business operations. LaBerge then moved to the Disney-owned sports broadcaster ESPN, taking the role of senior VP of technology and product development.
In April 2007, LaBerge left ESPN and co-founded Fantzer, a venture-funded software and digital development company. Serving as CEO, he directed all operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-facing internet and mobile products.
LaBerge later returned to ESPN in January 2013 in the role he’d previously held with the broadcaster, before being made executive VP and CTO, positions he held between January 2015 and November 2018.
He then returned to the parent company to become the firm’s president and CTO of the media and entertainment distribution division. There, he led a team that was responsible for the development of more than 200 consumer-facing digital products across the world.
His last role at the Walt Disney Company was president and CTO of Disney Entertainment and ESPN from February 2023 until his departure for PENN. In that position, he was responsible for driving all technology and product development for the business.
Touching on LaBerge’s appointment, PENN Entertainment CEO, Jay Snowden, said: “We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s calibre join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organisation of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our technology and interactive division into its future.
“I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire executive team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting and digital sports media.”
LaBerge added: “I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming.”