What’s it like on the first day? What did your new bosses think they’d bought? What misconceptions does each side have about the other? Do rights holders know who their fans are, and is the digital transformation question facing sport come down to culture or individual incentives?
I asked Tim Ellerton and Nathan Homer these and other questions because they have something in common. Nathan and Tim are high profile examples of poachers turned gamekeepers in the sports business, people who have moved from careers at big, global brands to work sales side for major rights holders. Nathan was Global Sports Marketing and Olympics Director at Procter & Gamble and head of global partnerships at Barclays before moving over to the other side, as Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of European Tour golf. (A bit of breaking news: Nathan just got a new job as Director of Trading, Broadband and Sport at Sky/Now TV). Tim Ellerton worked in senior sports sponsorship roles at Coca-Cola and more recently Heineken in Amsterdam. He became Commercial Director of the British Olympic Association in January 2017. Both are typically very honest and upfront about the challenges faced by rights holders, and the expectations they brought with them in to the job. GET THE PODCAST HERE https://www.unofficialpartner.com/podcast