Having been helicoptered in to take over the opening of Oak View Group’s (OVG) Co-op Live arena (cap. 23,500) following the resignation of Gary Roden during a tumultuous time at the Manchester venue, Rebecca Kane Burton is to take on the role of venue management EVP at OVG.

Kane Burton told Access that she had originally been due to start the UK and European management role at OVG on 1 July but the need to handle the opening of Co-op Live had delayed it.

As OVG’s EVP of venue management, she is tasked with spearheading the UK and European business development strategy and is responsible for identifying new business opportunities in arenas, stadiums and convention centres across Europe. She reports jointly to OVG International president Jessica Koravos and OVG360 president Chris Granger. OVG said Burton will focus on growing its venue services business, which includes Wembley Stadium, St. Andrew’s at Knighthead Park (Birmingham FC), Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium, and Co-op Live.

In April, Kane Burton, The O2 arena’s former VP & GM, stepped in as interim GM at Co-op Live arena after a week that had seen a test event reduced in capacity and the postponement of the official launch event at the Manchester venue involving a show by Peter Kay. The delays and difficulties getting Co-op Live open didn’t stop there. OVG said the venue’s opening season involved 36 events, with more than 900,000 tickets sold.

Burton’s other previous experience includes roles as CEO of Sodexo Live! and CEO of LW Theatres. Of her new position at OVG she said, “This is a pivotal time to be joining Oak View Group as it enters an exciting period of international growth. OVG has quickly become the global leader in venue management, and I am looking forward to broadening their impact on the fan experience with new partners in Europe.”

Koravos said Burton was instrumental in the success of Co-op Live’s opening season: “All of us at OVG would like to thank her for her leadership in guiding Co-op Live through its launch period to its emergence as a world class venue. We are delighted to now have her join the team at OVG international, as we look to make considerable strides in new markets.”