Three Decades of Operating and Leadership Experience — including growth strategy, M&A, diligence, business transformation, and finance — helping investors, executives, and boards build more competitive companies.
Rob Naddelman brings an eclectic, cross-industry perspective that adds a rare, additive view for private equity investors, operators, and boards. That perspective helps clients sharpen strategy, move faster through diligence and transformation, and build organizations that are more competitive and built to last. It's backed by three decades building and running organizations across sports and events, healthcare and life sciences, marketing and creative agencies, professional services, and AI-enabled businesses.
Rob Naddelman
Rob earned his BA from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a four-year varsity baseball player, a two-time All-Ivy selection, and a member of an Ivy League Championship team that competed in the College World Series Midwest Regional. He was later inducted into the Penn Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rob served as President of Factory Athletics, home to Baseball Factory and Softball Factory, and built it over nearly three decades into the national market leader in sports talent development before selling the business to Unrivaled Sports in 2023. The company grew to more than 2,000 employees and contractors, ran over 1,000 events a year in 150 cities, and helped develop more than 600 future MLB players.
At Imre, an award-winning, private-equity-backed marketing and healthcare communications agency, Rob led a multi-year transformation into a pharma-focused agency of record, overseeing Finance, HR, IT, Operations, Editorial, Resourcing, and Project Management.
- Modernized the agency's systems, streamlined its workflows, and became a certified Agile Scrum Master along the way.
- Combined agile workflow, AI adoption and integration, data integration, and KPI measurement to drive measurable time and cost savings.
- Worked with key team members to explore custom AI agents that expand client delivery, and helped lead a custom solution for brand AI visibility built with established market leaders.
Throughout, he kept human inclusion and coaching at the center, so the technology served the people using it. The work gives him direct operating experience in healthcare and life sciences and in marketing and creative agencies, alongside his sports and events background.
Rob now operates RAN Consulting, advising private equity firms, operators, and boards on strategy, diligence, growth, business transformation, finance and operations, and other disciplines. His experience spans sports and events, healthcare and life sciences, agencies and marketing, professional services, and AI-enabled businesses.
Rob is also active in YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), where he has served his chapter as Chapter Chair, Strategic Planning Officer, and Treasurer. The strategic planning process he built became a blueprint adopted by other chapters, and in his year as Chapter Chair, his leadership helped the chapter win Best Large Chapter of the Northeast Region.
Advisory built on operating experience, not theory.
M&A Diligence & Deal Advisory
Know what you're buying before you buy it. Commercial and operational diligence on management depth, unit economics, and exit thesis across sports and events, healthcare and life sciences, agencies, and technology-enabled businesses.
Strategic Planning & Growth
A clear plan for where to grow next, from market entry and go-to-market design to financial projections and roll-up strategy.
Business Transformation & Systems Implementation
Change that sticks. Restructure workflows, stand up new systems, and align finance, IT, and resourcing around a new operating model.
AI Adoption & Integration
Save time and cost without losing the people. Embed agile workflow, AI adoption, data integration, and KPI measurement into how a business runs, including custom AI agents for client delivery and brand AI visibility solutions built with established market partners.
Finance & Operations
Steady financial and operational control for PE-backed and privately held businesses moving through growth or transition.
Board & Advisory Roles
An operator in the room. Ongoing board and advisory support for portfolio companies and founders, from someone who has scaled a category leader and led a PE-backed agency transformation.
Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
Stronger leaders and healthier teams. Culture-building and leadership development drawn from building organizations where people, accountability, and trust drove the results.
Cross-Sector Operating Expertise
Fresh eyes from across industries. Deep operating experience across sports and events, healthcare and life sciences, marketing and creative agencies, professional services, and AI-enabled businesses.