Laura Franco

Laura Franco currently serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: MSGE) and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR). Laura serves as both companies’ chief legal officer and works closely with their respective executive leadership teams to support their long-term growth strategies. 

Prior to joining MSGE and Sphere, Laura served as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of Bumble Inc. (Nasdaq: BMBL), the parent company of the global dating and social connection apps Bumble and Badoo. As a member of Bumble Inc.’s executive management leadership, Laura was a key member of the IPO team which took Bumble public in February 2021.

Prior to joining Bumble in 2020, Laura spent more than 25 years at Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation (now Paramount Global, Nasdaq: PARA) in roles of increasing responsibility. In her last role at CBS as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Laura spearheaded critical company initiatives and major company-wide corporate transactions, including CBS’ merger with Viacom in 2019.

Laura serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Safety Committee at Virgin Voyages, a cruise line.

Laura began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in the firm’s corporate department.  She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.