Hours after the World Cup left town, the executive who ran the show behind the scenes announced he is stepping away. Dietmar Exler, chief operating officer of AMB Sports and Entertainment, will retire on Aug. 14, capping a seven-year run that ended with downtown Atlanta's biggest event since the 1996 Olympics.
Exler arrived in mid-2019 by an unusual route: he had been president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, the automaker whose naming-rights deal adorns the stadium, when Arthur Blank recruited him to run operations for the Falcons and Atlanta United's parent company. The Austria native went on to also serve as CEO of the Arthur M. Blank Family Office from 2020 until last summer.
His tenure reads like a timeline of the building's evolution beyond football: certification as a zero-waste facility, duty as an early-voting site in 2020 and a mass vaccination center in 2021, then a string of international soccer showcases — Copa America in 2024, the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and this summer's World Cup. Getting the stadium FIFA-ready meant installing natural grass months in advance, covering more than 3,100 logos and standing up an entirely new security perimeter, though the roof logo stayed put and so did the famously low concession prices.
Blank praised Exler's servant leadership and said his legacy will shape the organization for years. The succession is an internal affair: Tameka Rish becomes executive vice president and chief operating officer, Doug Roberts takes over as senior vice president of stadium revenue and events, and Joe Coomer is promoted to senior vice president of security and guest experience. All three report to AMBSE President Tim Zulawski.
Exler's send-off had a fitting final scene. After Argentina's semifinal win over England on July 15, thousands of Argentina fans stayed in their seats chanting with the players long after the whistle — while the outgoing operations chief watched from the press box, noting approvingly that the lingering crowd would make for easier egress.
Original reporting: Atlanta Business Chronicle (2026-07-16)