The Cleveland Orchestra appoints chief marketing officer

CLEVELAND, January 25, 2010 ’Äì Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson announces the appointment of Ross Binnie as chief marketing officer. The chief marketing officer manages the Marketing and Patron Relationship Management department. He is responsible for directing all marketing and direct response fundraising activities as well as a wide range of cross-departmental systems, including the Orchestra’Äôs website, that serve all Cleveland Orchestra patrons. Mr. Binnie will begin his duties with the Orchestra on February 8.

Gary Hanson said, ’ÄúI am very pleased to announce the appointment of Ross Binnie. He is an experienced leader in the orchestra field as well as in the broader performing arts industry.’Äù

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Ross Binnie comes to Cleveland from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he has served as vice president for sales and services since June 2003. In this role, he has been responsible for all new business development and customer service for the Max M. Fisher Music Center, including the supervision of single ticket and subscription sales and services. His role also includes the management of the DSO marketing team comprising public relations, advertising, and promotions for all DSO programming as well as overseeing the Max M. Fisher Music Center’Äôs two retail stores. He also served as the interim head of the Orchestra’Äôs development team, managing corporate and individual donations in 2008.

Mr. Binnie joined the DSO in 1999 as director of ticket services and has also held the position of director of patron services. He has worked for arts-related organizations throughout his career. Prior to the DSO, he held positions with the Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas and at Select Ticketing Systems in St. Albans, England, and Hackney Empire Theater in London.

Ross Binnie received his master of business administration degree from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1997 and a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Texas in Austin. A native of the United Kingdom, Mr. Binnie currently lives in Windsor, Ontario, with his wife, Liz, and their four children: Dawn, Hollie, Brianna, and Evan.