Mark Zarthar was named Chief Strategy Officer of the Florida Panthers in January 2023.
Zarthar leads all Panthers’ brand strategy, communications, business intelligence, ticket operations, and broadcast teams with an emphasis on long-term growth and innovation for the Florida Panthers, Amerant Bank Arena, Panthers IceDen and Ft. Lauderdale War Memorial.
Prior to joining the Panthers, Zarthar most recently held the role of Senior Vice President of Marketing for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers where he led brand strategy, creative, digital media, advertising, in-game entertainment, merchandise, community relations and broadcasting for the Flyers and Wells Fargo Center. While with the Flyers, he launched On the Fly Productions, an in-house creative agency and 1,100-square-foot content studio, propelling an aggressive expansion of the organization’s internal marketing capabilities.
Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Zarthar served as President of the Houston Astros’ MiLB affiliate, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. With the Woodpeckers, Zarthar oversaw the design, construction, and naming rights sale of Segra Stadium, a $40.8 million sports and entertainment venue in Fayetteville’s Historic Downtown. He led all operations of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers’ inaugural season, including ballpark operations, marketing, tickets, corporate partnerships, and more. For his work in launching the Woodpeckers, Business North Carolina recognized Zarthar as one of the state’s 20 Most Influential Sports Executives. Segra Stadium was named “Ballpark of the Decade” by Ballpark Digest. Prior to his time with the Astros, Zarthar held various positions in sports marketing and brand management for AnheuserBusch InBev.
A Massachusetts native and graduate of the University of Richmond where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Zarthar holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Zarthar lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with his wife, Kathleen.
