Dean Sofianopoulos has been appointed as the new Head of Marketing with the AFL following an executive recruitment process.

Sofianopoulos brings over 20 years of marketing leadership experience in telecommunications, media, and entertainment to the role. He's spent the last 11 years at Telstra, where he held senior executive roles and led national teams and multi-billion-dollar portfolios. His most recent position at Telstra was as the product owner principal for consumer entertainment, a role he held for over four years. During his tenure, he launched and scaled products and services in collaboration with major brands such as Apple, Samsung, Google, Microsoft, and Foxtel.

His achievements at Telstra include reshaping the company's sports marketing strategy, launching streaming services like BINGE, and establishing new product categories in gaming and cybersecurity.

Sofianopoulos will report to Amanda Romeo, General Manager of Customer and Marketing at AFL.

His appointment was highlighted in a LinkedIn announcement by Haystack Executive, stating, "Sofianopoulos is known for driving innovation and growth through brand and marketing strategy, go-to-market execution, customer engagement, and building high-performing teams."