UTA has made a key hire to help bolster its sports business.

The agency has tapped Heather Brooks Karatz to the newly created position of executive vp growth and operations. Karatz, who joins UTA from the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats, will be based in Los Angeles. She’ll initially focus on Klutch Sports Group, in which UTA bought a stake two years ago, in addition to the agency’s expanding music and influencer businesses.

“We are excited to have Heather join our team and help us achieve our goals in several of our key business areas,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “Her unique ability to build visionary sports and entertainment properties through a lens of operational efficiency is paramount. We are looking forward to leveraging her insights as she helps us develop new capabilities and create opportunities for clients.”

“The leadership at UTA has successfully built a platform that sits at the forefront of thoughtful innovation,” added Karatz. “The company’s reach is felt across numerous industries and there is enormous opportunity for growth. I am very excited to be joining such a talented team and bringing a unique lens to our future endeavors.”

Karatz’s résumé includes various facets of the sports industry. She’s served in senior roles with professional leagues and teams, talent representation agencies and media ventures. Most recently, Karatz was president of the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats, where she was responsible for the team’s business operations, including ticket sales, corporate partnerships, marketing and fan engagement. Previously, she served as executive vp and general counsel of the Los Angeles Football Club, where she played a critical role in business development initiatives and legal matters.