Robert Tilliss

About Rob

Rob Tilliss is a managing director and co-head of sports, media & entertainment for William Blair, based in Florida. He joined William Blair in 2026 as part of the firm’s acquisition of Inner Circle Sports, the leading independent advisory firm focused on the sports industry, which he co-founded in 2002.

Rob brings more than three decades of experience advising owners, investors, leagues, teams, media companies, and strategic buyers on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, valuations, and other transactions across the global sports ecosystem. He is widely recognized as one of the industry’s premier advisors and has led many of the most significant transactions in sports, including the sale and acquisition of professional sports franchises, investments in sports-related businesses, and transactions involving some of the world’s most prominent sports organizations.

Throughout his career, Rob has been at the forefront of the growing institutionalization of the sports industry, advising leagues, team owners, private equity firms, sovereign investors, family offices, and strategic acquirers as investment in sports has expanded globally. In addition to his transaction advisory work, he focuses on stadium and arena finance and has extensive experience advising sports technology, media, and services companies on growth capital, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and other transformational transactions.

Prior to co-founding Inner Circle Sports, Rob was the group head of sports finance at J.P. Morgan and was a managing director at Fortress Investment Group.

Board & Community Involvement

Jewish Family Services
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County
United Way

Awards & Affiliations

Sports Business Journal – Industry’s 40 under 40
Worth Magazine – 60 Most Powerful People in Sports