Dive Brief:

• Jacksonville, FL-based licensed-sports gear retailer Fanatics has hired Silicon Valley private equity analyst Lauren Cooks Levitan as chief financial officer, the retailer said Monday.

• Levitan succeeds Thomas Baumlin, who will continue to serve as an advisor.

• Fanatics has grown rapidly of late, including its recently inked deal to run the National Basketball Association’s flagship store in mid-town Manhattan. 

Dive Insight:

Fanatics has installed key leadership positions to Silicon Valley since the appointment of Doug Mack as CEO last year. The licensed sports gear retailer has expanded swiftly into physical retail after building strength on Fanatics.com and through the e-commerce sites of the four American sports leagues.

Levitan has key retail and omnichannel experience, but her appointment may also indicate that the company may want to go public.

“Lauren’s experience as a retailer and as an industry analyst, where she became known as an omnichannel thought leader, will enable her to provide outstanding financial leadership for us while also helping guide our rapid strategic expansion in the years ahead,” Mack said in a statement. “Lauren is another all-star addition to the world-class leadership team we’ve built at Fanatics.”