Flyers President NHL’s First Female Exec, Hopes To Inspire Others

As the first female president of an NHL team, Valerie Camillo of the Philadelphia Flyers wants to set the example that other women can do it too.

“It’s important for me to demonstrate success,” Camillo said, via The Hockey News. “You hope it drives ownership (of other teams) to wonder what’s in that recipe and hopefully encourages them to follow suit.”

Camillo’s official title is president of business operations for both the Flyers and Wells Fargo Center, where the team plays its home games.

“The best way to drive new ideas is to have a variety of viewpoints around the table,” she said.

Camillo, 47, previously served as an executive on the business side with the NBA and MLB’s Washington Nationals. She is a native of Virginia and graduate of the University of Virginia. She oversees all Flyers business operations — including sales, marketing, analytics and technology.

“Within the population of Philadelphia, younger buyers tend to be more diverse,” she said. “So, if we want to remain relevant as our core fan base ages, we have to win and attract the next generation of hockey fans. That’s a more diverse generation of hockey fans.”

The Flyers are currently 3-2-1, as of Monday.