Sphere Entertainment has appointed Karen Laureano-Rikardsen as its global head of corporate marketing and communications, tasked with shaping the company's messaging as it expands beyond its flagship Las Vegas venue. The move matters because Sphere, which has become the most lucrative live-event space in the US, is planning new sites in Abu Dhabi and near Washington, D.C. over the coming years, making clear and consistent global communications increasingly important to its growth strategy.

Laureano-Rikardsen joins from Cantor Fitzgerald, where she spent nine years as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the firm and its publicly traded affiliates BGC Group and Newmark Group, overseeing crisis communications, financial communications and brand strategy. She previously held senior roles at Credit Suisse, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Hill & Knowlton. Based in New York, she will report to Sphere President and COO Jennifer Koester, who praised her marketing and communications experience and leadership in high-profile settings.