Bryan Bedford To Head Up Cisco’s New Retail, Hospitality, Sports, Media and Entertainment Division

Cisco has named Bryan Bedford as global industry director for Retail, Hospitality, Sports, Media and Entertainment, the new name of the organization previously known as the company’s “sports and entertainment” division, according Stadium Tech Report. As Global Industry Director for Retail, Hospitality, Sports, Media and Entertainment, Bedford and his team will drive innovation, enablement, new offers and drive the programmatic scaling efforts for the Cisco for all consumer industries.

Cisco has named Bryan Bedford as global industry director for Retail, Hospitality, Sports, Media and Entertainment.

“We’re actually doubling down [on stadium support]” in the new organization, Bedford told Stadium Tech Report. While the reorg is still “under development,” Bedford is already adding resources in the field to its sports practice, according to Bedford. More details on what Bedford calls “version 2.0” of the group will be available later this spring.

For over 25 years, Bryan Bedford has been transforming consumer, content and consumer industries around the world. Throughout his career in the IT, services, sports, media, and retail technology, Bedford has launched & scaled industry-changing technologies and services in high growth businesses’ including mobile, content and customer experience focused areas. Bedford is also very active as an industry speaker and communicator on Twitter (@Bryan_Bedford) discussing tech, media, retail, sports, the future of customer experience as often as he can.

Before joining the team at Cisco, Bedford served as XOS Digital’s Vice President of Sales & Business Development and before that Director of Sales & Business Development both roles focused on Customer Experience & Services within the Sports & Media industries. Under Bedford’s direction XOS Digital, a leading software, analysis and services company focused on the Sports, Media & Entertainment market, Bedford spearheaded all facets of external business development for the firm including forging strategic “go-to-market” partnerships with major manufactures, technology companies and industry leaders including working with nearly every major professional and college sports program throughout North America. Bedford’s time at XOS Digital included record revenue growth, expansion of the sales/marketing force, net new product/solution launches and drive towards additional profitability.

Prior to joining XOS Digital, Bedford spent time working in various roles (Sales, Coaching, Marketing) for three teams over a seven-year period: TCU (Texas Christian University), Southern Nazarene University, and the Oklahoma RedHawks Baseball Club. Bedford also serves as CEO & Managing Director of The Bedford Agency, a College Sports Recruiting Company. Bedford earned his Master’s Degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. Bedford resides in Oklahoma City, OK and is married to his wife Desiree’ and has two daughters Tessa and Sadie.

“Cisco has a rich history of working in sports and entertainment, and those accomplishments have taken us to this point,” he said. “This [the reorganization] gives us the opportunity to look inside the business units and see what kind of innovation we can provide, to take things to the next level. It’s a pretty cool opportunity.”