In a significant organizational shift, the WTA announced on Tuesday that Steve Simon will step down from his role as CEO while continuing as the executive chairman. The change is part of a broader restructuring strategy, which Simon emphasized has been in planning for several months and is unrelated to the recent player complaints at the season-ending championships.
Under the new structure, the WTA will appoint a new CEO who will report directly to Simon. This move accompanies the departure of President Micky Lawler, a position that will not be filled. Simon, who has been at the helm of the WTA since 2015, succeeding Stacey Allaster, expressed a clear preference for a female candidate to take over the CEO role.
“Our preference is” to “find a female candidate” for the CEO position, Simon said.
“My focus will now shift towards governance, managing boards and councils, and addressing geopolitical issues that impact our sport,” he said in a video interview with The Associated Press and BBC. “I will spend more time working on the strategic direction of the organization and the challenges that face the organization.”
Under Simon's leadership, the WTA has seen considerable financial growth, doubling its business size from $64 million in 2016 to a projected $128 million in 2023.
Leadership structure change ‘not tied' to previous player concerns
However, the his tenure has also seen challenges, like the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties surrounding the WTA Finals. There was also the suspension and eventual return of events in China over concerns for player Peng Shuai's well-being. This year's WTA Finals in Cancun faced criticism from some players, who described the temporary outdoor court conditions as “disrespectful.”
Players have also raised issues regarding income security, maternity leave coverage and objections to changes in mandatory tournament appearance rules. In response, Simon clarified that the decision to restructure WTA's leadership was not a direct result of these recent challenges but part of a long-term strategy initiated in the summer.
“We started these discussions [about changing the WTA leadership structure] in the summertime, so they're not tied to anything that happened in Cancun or … the perception that it hasn't been the easiest of years,” Steve Simon said. “The combined role (of CEO and chairman) … you're going to start missing some things at some point in time. There's just only so many hours in the day that you can get to … (it) makes a lot of sense to have somebody to deal with the day-to-day business, and … I can deal with more of the higher-level issues that obviously take a lot of time.”
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