About Boardroom

Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

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GAME PLAN PLAYERS: Aryeh Bourkoff

Last Updated: November 14, 2023
As we gear up for CNBC x Boardroom’s Game Plan conference this summer, let’s learn more about one of the event’s featured speakers, Chairman & CEO of LionTree, Aryeh Bourkoff.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, and Boardroom, Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s premier media brand covering the business of sports, music, and entertainment, are teaming up to produce CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan, an all-new, high-powered event taking place on July 25 in Los Angeles. Today, we’re highlighting featured speaker Aryeh Bourkoff, Chairman & CEO of LionTree. Click here to view the full list of CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan speakers.

Aryeh Bourkoff and LionTree have found themselves at the center of nearly every major media deal over the last few years. From Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo and AOL to The New York Times’ takeover of The Athletic, Bourkoff has leveraged his singular experience and unmatched forecasting of the future to shape the digital media industry. Through the boutique M&A shop’s relatively short history, he’s become one of the most important bankers in Hollywood.

Prior to co-founding LionTree, Bourkoff spent 13 years at UBS. He served as Vice Chairman and Head of Americas Investment Banking prior to his departure in 2012.

These days, Bourkoff can be found in the middle of nearly every major industry moment. In his role as what The Hollywood Reporter deemed “media’s hottest dealmaker,” he has also created one of the most coveted events in the digital media business with the annual Slopesides event, a gathering of 200 “global influencers and disrupters” each March in Deer Valley, Utah.

Learn more about Aryeh Bourkoff’s Game Plan below.

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Aryeh Bourkoff’s Game Plan

Background & Career

  • Resides in New York City
  • Graduate of the University of San Diego
  • 2012-present: Chairman & CEO, LionTree
  • 1999-2012: UBS, exiting as Vice Chairman and Head of Americas Investment Banking
  • 1997-99: Analyst, CIBC Capital Markets
  • 1995-97: Analyst, Smith Barney

Accomplishments & Milestones

  • Oversaw major M&A deals including the recombination of CBS and Viacom, Charter Communications’ acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House, AT&T’s divestment from WarnerMedia, WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery, Amazon’s acquisition of MGM, and Apollo Global Management’s acquisition of Yahoo from Verizon
  • 2017-2022, Variety 500
  • Founder, MediaSlopes
  • Serves on the boards of directors for Yahoo, Gagosian, and Carnegie Hall
  • Serves on the boards of trustees for both The Paley Center for Media and the Royal Academy of Arts

Click here to learn more about Boardroom and CNBC’s Game Plan event and find out how you can sign up today.

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Bernadette Doykos

Bernadette Doykos is the Senior Director of Editorial Strategy at Boardroom. Before joining the team, her work appeared in ELLE. She previously served as the head of evaluation for a nonprofit where she became obsessed with systems and strategy and served as the curator of vibes and extinguisher of fires for the design thinking firm Stoked. She is constantly plotting a perfect tunnel ‘fit and a playlist for all occasions.

About The Author
Bernadette Doykos
Bernadette Doykos
Bernadette Doykos is the Senior Director of Editorial Strategy at Boardroom. Before joining the team, her work appeared in ELLE. She previously served as the head of evaluation for a nonprofit where she became obsessed with systems and strategy and served as the curator of vibes and extinguisher of fires for the design thinking firm Stoked. She is constantly plotting a perfect tunnel ‘fit and a playlist for all occasions.