Who is Mark King? Everything you need to know about LIV Golf’s prospective CEO candidate

Mark King is reportedly in line to replace Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf.

Currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at Taco Bell, King has been in the headlines for the past few weeks after meeting Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

King is a household name in the sports marketing industry. The former CEO of Taylormade-Adidas golf company completed his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Mark King (Image via Markkinglive.com)

King is an incredibly successful businessman who has led two sports companies successfully. Taylormade witnessed immense success under King, growing from $300 million to more than $1.7 billion. He spent 34 years at Taylormade and was quickly promoted from territory sales to President before becoming the CEO in 2002.

Mark King joined Adidas in June 2014, doubling its market share in three years. King created the right atmosphere for his employees, doubling the number of workers. However, after working with the brand for around five years, King joined Taco Bell, where he was responsible for driving the overall brand strategy.

Considering his 40 years of work experience, King possesses a great knowledge of sports marketing and advertising and has the credentials of becoming the next CEO of LIV Golf.

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LIV Golf officials talk about changing CEO

LIV Golf has emerged as a successful series, despite attracting controversy. The Saudi-backed series recently completed its inaugural season, with sports enthusiasts waiting for the second season.

The series has been the talk of the town following ongoing rumors about the replacement of Chief Executive Greg Norman. Mark King has a favorable chance of becoming the new CEO.

King actively participated in the first season and is said to have had a chat about his possible new role with Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Greg Norman's position is possibly in danger, as the former Australian golfer has proven to be a polarizing figure during the inaugural season of LIV Golf.

Though the news about the change in CEO is spreading like wildfire, the LIV Golf representative shuts down the speculation. In an interview, LIV Golf managing director Majed Al-Sarour said:

"Greg Norman is our CEO and Commissioner. Any speculation that changes are being made to Greg's title or role is patently false."

It's noteworthy that the LIV Series has many more surprises in store for the second season. According to multiple outlets, PGA Tour golfer Xander Schauffele has agreed to join the tournament.

Some reports have also claimed that Patrick Cantlay, Mito Pereira, and Joaquin Niemann will be part of the LIV Golf Tournament in 2023. Additionally, event officials plan to sign a broadcast deal for the upcoming season. Atul Khosla, the LIV Golf Official, said:

"I feel good about where we are, but we must work over the next couple of months. We think we are providing an incredible commercial product. These are not six-month o, one-month or one-year deals; if a TV network is getting behind that, it's for multiple years. We have got to start commercializing the product. We have to got to get on TV; we have to get corporate partners. These are milestones that we need to hit."