EPIC Global Solutions has enlisted Dr. Meg Popovic to be its new Senior Professional Sports Manager to help the consultancy continue its strong momentum in North America.
Popovic brings with her a wealth of experience in the field of player welfare in US sports, having been Director of Wellbeing and Performance for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club.
The global safer gambling consultancy first encountered Popovic in this role and she later became an EPIC advocate and a member of its Pro Sport Advisory Board, which brings together experts to discuss how to reduce the effects of harmful gambling in sporting environments.
In her new role, managing and growing EPIC’s relationships with North American pro leagues and teams, supporting a portfolio that already includes relationships with the NCAA, MLB, NFLPA PAF and MLSPA.
Popovic commented on her new role: “The prospect of partaking in what EPIC does resonated with me on every level – professionally and personally. The individuals who have built this company and delivery its work are some of the most kind, ethical, and forward-thinking people I’ve ever met. It’s an honour to be part of this EPIC Global Solutions team.
“The landscape of gambling in relationship to professional sports is changing rapidly, and EPIC is bringing forth authentic, world-class programming and consultation that will be of service to all involved – teams, staff, and the athletes. This makes me very, very excited.”
Previously in her career, she was Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer at NextPlayU, a career accelerator and community for former NCAA, Olympic, and pro athletes.
Popovic has further history with EPIC, too, as she has been a speaker at the consultancy’s Gambling Harm Prevention in Sport Summit in London last year where it unveiled a white paper on the steps that professional sport can take in order to minimize gambling issues.
EPIC’s Director of Sports Partnerships, Ben McGregor, explained: “We’ve enjoyed the benefit of Meg’s wonderful expertise over the past couple of years, thanks to the advice she has helped to provide since first agreeing to support our Pro Sport Advisory Board, and as soon as we understood that there was a chance to make this a more formal agreement, we didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity.
He added: “To bring in someone who has been invited to share knowledge on athlete welfare best practice with the likes of the NHL, MLB, NBA and top world cycling teams will clearly be a major asset to EPIC and all the clients we serve within professional sports.
“There is no doubt that her knowledge and connections within the industry will bring mutual benefits to all involved, as we seek to spread the important message of how to negate some of gambling’s more harmful effects at a time when sport in North America is becoming increasingly connected with the rapidly-expanding legalized sports wagering market in the US.”
