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Ken Martin

General Manager and Director

Global Sales, Sports and Entertainment Solutions Group

Ken Martin serves as General Manager and Dir. of Global Sales in the Sports and Entertainment Solutions Group (SESG) at Cisco. In his role, Ken has overall responsibility for accelerating development and adoption of Cisco solutions in the Sports and Entertainment market. Cisco has targeted the Sports and Entertainment industry as a $1B market opportunity and it is one of the company’s top Market Adjacencies.

As general manager of SESG, Ken oversees a team responsible for the business development, management, and architect of Cisco Sports and Entertainment solutions that are transforming the fan experience in sports and entertainment around the world.

Ken joined Cisco in 2005. During his tenure, he was asked to create a vertical focused on the innovation and development of solutions tailored to meet the needs of sport and entertainment specific venues around the world. Ken has participated in a wide variety of internal councils and boards responsible for Cisco’s success in the Sports and Entertainment, IOE, Connected Real Estate, and Safety and Security Market Adjacencies. Ken’s participation on these internal councils and boards included helping to set the vision and strategy for Cisco in these key Market Adjacencies.

His participation has resulted in the incubation and development of a number of Cisco solutions including Cisco Connected Stadium architectures, Cisco StadiumVision™, Cisco High Density WIFI,  Cisco StadiumVision Mobile™®, and Smart + Connected Real Estate Solutions.

Ken’s proven leadership and experience, particularly in driving the success of the Sports and Entertainment Market Adjacency, play a key role in his leadership of the SESG at Cisco.

During his tenure at Cisco, Ken has also served in other key leadership positions including the management of some of Cisco’s largest Public Utility, and highest growth accounts.

Before joining Cisco, he worked for EMC2 Corporation, managing a team that included global responsibilities for BNP Paribas and Bank of the West, a subsidiary of BNP, as well as many other high profile worldwide businesses.

Articles

Cisco Vision Brings Data to Life at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

There is truly nothing more special than the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The storied history; the incredible views; the atmosphere unlike any other. As the best golfers in the world face golf’s ultimate test, Cisco is delivering advanced data and analytics straight from the practice range all champio…

A Market-Making Decade for Sports and Entertainment

It’s amazing how far we’ve come in 10 years… Back in 2007, a group of Cisco executives gathered to discuss how Cisco might tap into the sports and entertainment business. The group of 15 self-identified sports fanatics recognized that the industry was ripe for disruption, and that by dev…

In Their Own Words – AEG and Cisco Partner for Digital Success

I have to tell you – I love my job. I am truly passionate about the benefits of Cisco’s Connected Sports Solutions, and the transformative impact they have on a teams, venues and sports leagues around the world. And I love to tell people about it! But once in a while, it’s nice to sit back and let s…

Security and Reliability Amidst (March) Madness

Sports – they never disappoint. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the impossible happens. Like a 16-seed beating a 1-seed in the NCAA March Madness Tournament for the first time ever. Congratulations to UMBC (that’s University of Maryland, Baltimore County) for an unbelievable, historic win la…

February 13, 2018

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Digital Fans Win Big at the Big Game

Whether you are a New England Patriots fan or cheer for the Philadelphia Eagles; a Justin Timberlake superfan or just in it for the commercials, there’s one thing we can all agree on – this year’s Big Game did not disappoint. In another thrilling event that once again went down to the final minutes,…

January 25, 2018

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

The Big Game Delivers Big Digital Experiences

Did you know that the day following the Big Game is one of the most common days of the year for Americans to call in sick to work? Now, don’t get any ideas – but the point is that in the U.S. we take the Big Game very seriously. It’s become a de-facto holiday of sorts, complete with elaborate menus,…

November 20, 2017

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

#CiscoChat Recap — How Do You Compete for the Digital Sports Fan of 2020 and Beyond?

When it comes to competing for the attention of digital sports fans, the game is constantly changing. Digital technology innovations are paving the way to more connected, more engaging, and, ultimately, more memorable experiences — and also leading to heightened fan expectations. It’s not enough jus…

November 6, 2017

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Live #CiscoChat Nov 8th – How Do You Compete for the Digital Sports Fan of 2020 and Beyond?

From dynamic signage to mobile innovations, to virtual reality and artificial intelligence enabled interactions, and now IoT; technology trends continue to reshape consumer and fan behaviors. Today it isn’t enough for fans to go to the game. They want an unforgettable game-day experience, from the m…

October 18, 2017

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Back to the Future – Sports Fan 2020

As a kid, I remember watching the Jetsons on television and being in awe. The technology and gadgets seemed so far-fetched at the time. And yet, here we are in 2017. And so much of what once seemed impossible is no longer. Digital acceleration is happening at incredible speeds. Toyota is building a…