Sportradar Group AG announced that Behshad Behzadi has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CTO and CAIO). As Sportradar’s CTO and CAIO, Behzadi will work at the organization’s headquarters in Switzerland and report directly to CEO Carsten Koerl.
By working collaboratively across the organization, Behzadi will drive the use and adoption of AI and cutting-edge technology to enhance its product offerings. The goal is to provide hyper-personalized experiences for sports fans.
Behzadi is one of the most renowned computer scientists
Additionally, his extensive experience in leading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency will help optimize processes and drive innovation across the enterprise.
Sportradar has the largest global coverage of sports data, fan insights and betting liquidity. Using cutting-edge AI will help drive future business efficiency and can create significant value for customers and stakeholders.
Carsten Koerl said: “We are proud to welcome Behshad, a world-renowned leader in leveraging generative AI and other advanced technologies. He is the unique combination of technical expertise and business acumen.
Your proven track record in developing and commercializing product strategies to accelerate growth and innovation. Therefore, in addition to leading initiatives aimed at improving internal operational efficiency, it will reinforce our leadership position, keeping Sportradar at the forefront of technological advancement.”
With over 20 years of experience, Behzadi is a distinguished computer scientist and recognized global technology leader. He has expertise in algorithms, search classification, natural language processing, speech recognition, machine learning, and generative AI.
Future at Sportradar
Behzadi joined Google Zurich in 2006 and played a key role in Google’s AI strategy as co-founder of Google Assistant, Google Lens, Google Smart Display and Next Gen Assistant. It was considered a breakthrough in mobile assistant technology with on-device machine learning.
Most recently, he led Google Cloud’s Conversational AI and Applied Generative AI initiative. While the application focus was to reimagine and automate customer services and operations for large enterprises.
Behzadi also has a PhD in Bioinformatics from Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and did postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.
Behzadi stated: “Sportradar is an exceptional, category-leading company operating at the global intersection of sports, technology and digital content. So I’m very excited to join an organization that pushes the boundaries of technology and values innovation.
I look forward to working alongside Carsten, the rest of the executive management team, and their talented group of creators. We will continue Sportradar’s story of innovation as the company enters its next exciting chapter.”