Volleyball World has announced the appointment of Ugo Valensi as its next Chief Executive Officer, a position he will assume on August 4, 2025. With a well-known international background, Valensi brings strong expertise in sports leadership, strategic transformation, and digital media, following his successful tenure at Grand Slam Tennis and the Sportfive agency.

This leadership change comes at a strategic moment for Volleyball World, which is experiencing unprecedented momentum after volleyball’s exposure at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Currently, 800 million people worldwide engage with the sport, and Volleyball World content reached 1.8 billion views last year. This is further supported by the remarkable growth of its VBTV platform and social media channels, reinforcing volleyball’s global appeal.

A profile with global vision and transformative experience

During his time at Grand Slam Tennis, Valensi led key projects that strengthened fan-focused storytelling and expanded tennis’s commercial value. He played a central role in negotiating and developing Break Point, the Netflix documentary series that, for the first time, brought together the four Grand Slam tournaments, ATP, and WTA in a joint initiative. He also promoted a model of shared governance and an integrated digital strategy, laying the foundation for coordinated growth in elite tennis.

His experience will be crucial in a key year for Volleyball World, which will host the Men’s and Women’s World Championships in Asia for the first time, as well as the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Australia. With an eye on Los Angeles 2028, Valensi arrives with the mission to strengthen fan engagement, grow the global audience, and continue the organization’s commercial growth. Backed by the FIVB, CVC Capital Partners, and a solid team, his leadership aims to take volleyball to new heights.