Corporate finance veteran Michael Grau joins Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp in a dual-capacity, with duties for overseeing the live entertainment specialist’s financial matters.
Effective from Feb. 12, Grau joins the business as executive VP, finance, then, following a transition period, adds responsibilities of CFO from April 1.
In this role, Grau will work closely with MSG Entertainment’s executive management team to support the long-term direction of the company, reporting to MSG Entertainment’s executive chairman and CEO James L. Dolan.
Also, he will provide strategic financial insight on all facets of the business, and deal with financial planning and analysis, controllership, treasury, investor relations, tax, and procurement functions.
Grau joins MSG Entertainment from Altice USA, the publicly-traded cable communications company, where he served as CFO. He took that role in 2019 following a nearly 20-year career at Cablevision Systems Corporation, which was acquired by Altice in 2016.
“We are pleased to welcome Michael to MSG Entertainment in this important role,” comments Dolan. “Michael was previously a key member of our finance team at Cablevision, and he brings significant financial and operating experience to this role, which will prove valuable as we continue to advance the company’s key initiatives.”
“MSG Entertainment is a leader in live entertainment, and I am honored by the opportunity to leverage my experience in this role,” adds Grau. “I look forward to working with the company’s management team, and the entire finance department, to help ensure we continue to deliver excellence across our financial operations and drive business priorities.”
MSG Entertainment’s portfolio includes New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, and The Chicago Theatre, and the original production, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes.
The group last year finalized a spin-off that separated the pure-play live music business from MSG Entertainment’s state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, sports television network and hospitality businesses.