Cirque du Soleil has named luxury goods and live entertainment veteran Mark Cornell as its new president and CEO.

Cornell was most recently CEO of ATG Entertainments, the live theater operator in Londons West End and on Broadway. The exec succeeds Daniel Lamarre, who stepped in as interim CEO in April 2025 and before that ran the global circus troupe for nearly 20 years until 2021, based in Montreal. Lamarres tenure book-ended a three-year run by Stephane Lefebvre as the top exec.

As Lamarre shifts to executive vice-chairman of the board, to focus on business development for Cirque du Soleil, Cornell will step into the top job from Nov. 17 and relocate to Montreal. The British businessman brings extensive consumer brand experience with earlier executive stints at Mot Hennessy USA, Sothebys Europe and Krug Champagne. Mark Cornell embodies bold leadership and operational excellence. His arrival marks an important milestone in our ambition to strengthen our global reach and enrich the experience we offer to audiences worldwide, Gabriel de Alba and Jim Murren, co-chairs of the board at the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, said in a statement.

Cirque du Soleil saw its stable of live shows globally heavily impacted by the pandemic and a resulting global shutdown. After reopening its shows, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group rebuilt its global brand under new stakeholders that included Texas-based TPG Capital and Chinas Fosun Capital Group.

It is an honor to join Cirque du Soleil, a global icon of creativity and innovation. I have admired this brand for many years, not only for its artistic excellence, but for its ability to connect cultures and inspire audiences around the world. I am excited to collaborate with the talented teams in Montreal and across the globe to write the next chapter of this extraordinary journey, Cornell added in his own statement.