Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. and Sphere Entertainment Co. announced that Laura Franco, an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of legal experience, has been named Executive Vice President and General Counsel for both companies, effective February 20.

Ms. Franco will serve as both companies' chief legal officer, working closely with their respective leadership teams to support long-term direction and growth. In this role, Ms. Franco will oversee all legal functions across a broad range of disciplines including corporate, commercial, transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters. She will be responsible for and direct corporate and business legal affairs for MSG Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment, including managing the development, negotiation, and execution of all material business transactions.

Ms. Franco will report to James L. Dolan, who serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both MSG Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment. Ms. Franco joins the MSG Family of Companies from Bumble Inc., the parent company of the global dating and social connection apps Bumble and Badoo, where she served as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. As a member of Bumble Inc.'s executive management leadership team, she helped oversee its Initial Public Offering; established public company governance; managed compliance, litigation and public policy; and advised on corporate strategy, including mergers and acquisitions, building and protecting the intellectual property portfolio, product and international expansion.

Prior to joining Bumble in 2020, Ms. Franco spent more than 25 years at Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation (now "Paramount Global") in roles of increasing responsibility. In her last role at CBS as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Ms. Franco spearheaded critical company initiatives and major company-wide corporate transactions, including CBS' merger with Viacom in 2019. Ms. Franco began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in the firm's corporate department where she handled transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic alliances and initiatives.

Ms. Franco is a Board Member and Chair of the Safety Committee at Virgin Voyages, a cruise line. Ms. Franco received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Science degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.