Recently, the Board of Directors of The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. announced that they have appointed Paul Edmondson as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Edmondson had been serving as interim CEO since February 12, 2025. Prior to that, Edmondson had been the company’s COO and President of Platform.
“As the company rapidly transforms, the Board feels that Paul’s experience and entrepreneurial strategy is well-aligned with The Arena Group’s growth plan,” said Cavitt Randall, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Paul’s successes throughout the company – including the recent rapid transformation of Athlon Sports – are indicative of where we believe he can lead the company overall.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead The Arena Group as CEO,” said Edmondson. “We intend to focus on innovation and creativity to strengthen our brands – and we expect to empower our team and publishing partners to engage and grow our digital audience. We will continue the momentum we started with Athlon Sports and bring that same focus to the broader company to drive long-term success.”
Edmondson began working with The Arena Group in 2018, when it acquired the business he founded and led, HubPages. He then served as COO from August 2018 until October 2019 when he was named the company’s President. Here, he oversaw Arena’s core content management system, programmatic advertising and the technology stack for publishers and owned and operated properties.
In 2024, in addition to his President of Platform role, Edmondson was named General Manager of The Arena Group’s sports media business, including Athlon Sports. Under Paul’s direction and leadership, Athlon Sports experienced a renaissance, becoming one of the strongest and most-viewed sport-related websites in the U.S.
Before founding HubPages, Edmondson worked for Microsoft Corporation’s MSN Entertainment and developed applications for Hewlett-Packard Company.
