‍TORONTO, Ont. (December 16, 2021) – Canada Basketball announced Thursday the appointment of Nathalie Burri to the newly created position of Vice President, Events & Operations.

Reporting to the President & CEO, Burri will oversee event operations, partner and retail activations, as well as player/alumni relations for Canada Basketball.  Burri will also oversee the creation of new commercial assets for the organization and their integration into live events and broadcast content on Sportsnet.  In addition, she will manage the creation of new event properties, as well as hosting of FIBA sanctioned events, as Canada Basketball continues to develop a robust event hosting strategy to further support the on-court aspirations of the men’s and women’s national team programs and growth of the game domestically at home.

"Nathalie is a world-class events and operations leader and I am thrilled to have her join our executive team as we evolve our commercial business and launch many exciting event and content properties," said Michael Bartlett, President and CEO of Canada Basketball. “If you have enjoyed a marquee sporting event in this country, there’s a strong chance Nathalie had her hands on its operations, and we are excited to have her bring her expertise to Canada Basketball.”

Burri, who spent over 18 years with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) in a variety of roles, including serving as Director, Live Events from 2014-17, joins Canada Basketball having overseen the planning and execution of some of the largest professional sporting events in the country including, the 2015/2017 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, 2016 NBA All Star Weekend, 104th CFL Grey Cup, 2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey and the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic.

“Having the chance to join Canada Basketball where I can combine my passion for basketball, leadership and live events is a truly exciting opportunity and was a perfect fit,” said Burri.  “As a proud Canadian, to be able to bring new and exciting national team competitions, tournaments and celebrations of our game to a growing, passionate basketball fan base across the country has me feeling incredibly excited to be part of the journey.”

“During my time at MLSE, I was fortunate to work closely with Michael on several events and having spoken with him about his vision for not only Canada Basketball but also basketball in Canada, I look forward to joining his team and continuing to shine the spotlight on our players and teams,” Burri said.

Most recently, as Project Director for BaAM Productions, Burri managed the design and construction of the training facilities for the Toronto Raptors in Florida, which was also used by Canada Basketball’s men’s and women’s Senior National Teams in the months leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

A trusted event professional with over twenty years’ of sports & entertainment experience, Burri was also recently involved with venue and event operations for the 2020 NBA Allstar Weekend, NBA Paris Global Game and the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs NHL Hub in Toronto.

Burri also has non-profit experience as she spent three years with WE Charity as Chief Operations Director where she was responsible for the conceptual, production and execution of the WE Day Tour, a series of youth empowerment stadium events across North America, UK and Caribbean that aired annually on ABC and CTV.

Burri will officially join Canada Basketball on January 3.