Mike Watts joined Wasserman Media Group in 2002.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Mike Watts is responsible for the company’s worldwide operations including business and geographic integration of the company’s Athlete Management, Consulting and Partnership and Business Development divisions, company-wide efficiency and communication efforts, and day-to-day operating activities of the company’s infrastructure. Watts also plays a key role in the strategy and growth efforts of the company and also served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer prior to his role as COO.

Before joining Wasserman, Watts served as chief financial officer at iRise, the world’s leading application definition software and services company. He also served as a General Partner with The Yucaipa Companies, a leading private equity firm in California. While there, Watts represented Yucaipa on all major equity investments and recapitalizations, debt financings and reorganizations, and was involved in best practices for the portfolio company’s financial strategy and operational initiatives.

Watts began his career at Arthur Andersen LLP, serving as a senior accountant for numerous private and public firms. Watts is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. He also serves on the board of directors for the National Kidney Foundation, the major voluntary health organization dedicated to preventing kidney disease.