SPORTS BETTING
Sportradar appoints Google’s Behshad Behzad as CTO and CAIO
By Phil - 1 May 2024
Sportradar Group has named Behshad Behzadi as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Company (CTO and CAIO), effective May 1.
As Sportradar’s CTO and CAIO, Behzadi will be based in the organization’s headquarters in Switzerland and report directly to Chief Executive Officer, Carsten Koerl. Working collaboratively across the organization, Behzadi will drive the usage and adoption of AI and cutting-edge technology to enhance its product offerings and roadmap to deliver hyper-personalized experiences for sports fans. Additionally, his extensive experience in leading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency will help optimize processes and drive innovation across the business. Sportradar has the largest global coverage of sports data, fan insights and betting liquidity. The usage of cutting-edge AI will help to drive the Company’s future efficiency and can create significant value for clients and stakeholders.
Koerl said: “We are proud to welcome Behshad, a world-renowned leader in harnessing generative AI and other advanced technologies, who marries a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen. His proven track record in developing and commercializing product strategies to accelerate growth and innovation, as well as spearheading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency, will bolster our leadership position, keeping Sportradar at the forefront of technological advancement.”
With more than 20 years of experience, Behzadi is a distinguished computer scientist and recognized global technology leader with expertise in algorithms, search ranking, natural language processing, speech recognition, machine learning and generative AI. Behzadi joined Google Zurich in 2006 and has played a key role in Google’s AI-first strategy as co-founder of Google Assistant, Google Lens, Google Smart Display and the Next Gen Assistant, a breakthrough in mobile assistant technology with on-device Machine Learning. Most recently, he led Google Cloud’s Conversational AI and applied Generative AI initiative focusing on applying the latest AI advancements to reimagine and automate customer services and operations for large enterprises. Behzadi earned a PhD in Bioinformatics from Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and did postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.
Behzadi said: “Sportradar is an exceptional company and category leader operating at the global intersection of sports, technology and digital content. I am very excited to join an organization that pushes the boundaries on technology and puts a premium on innovation. I look forward to working alongside Carsten, the rest of the executive management team and their talented group of creators to continue Sportradar’s history of innovation as the Company enters its next exciting chapter.”
