Zak Brown Moves Up The Ladder
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe founder of a global marketing company with a longtime presence in Indiana has received a promotion. JMI Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown has been named group CEO of the agency's parent, England-based CSM Sport & Entertainment. March 19, 2015
News Release
LONDON, Engalnd – Lord Coe, Executive Chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment (CSM), a global leader in sports marketing, today announced a senior management reorganisation. Jim Glover will be taking on the new role of Deputy Chairman with responsibility for global partnerships and client relationships. Zak Brown, currently CEO of JMI, CSM's motorsport agency, will become Group Chief Executive Officer of CSM. Edward Leask continues as Deputy Chairman with responsibility for mergers, acquisitions, alliances and the growth of the business in the North American market.
Commenting on the changes, Chairman Lord Coe said: “CSM is a young company. In a relatively short period we have created a world class stable of market leading businesses. Our aim is to be the most highly respected and recommended agency in sport and entertainment. The changes we have made today reflect our ambition and enable us to focus on the areas that are critical to our future growth – our global partnerships and relationships, our acquisitions and alliances strategy in North America and enhancing our strong worldwide network.”
“Zak has been building businesses around sport for 20 years, including his own successful business, JMI. His energy, passion for sport and formidable focus make him the right choice to lead the business. CSM has shown time and again that we are capable of going toe to toe with the best in the market and winning. This reorganisation marks the start of a significant investment programme in Chime's sports marketing division, paving the way for the future.”
Alongside his new position as Group CEO of CSM, Zak also becomes Executive Chairman of JMI, the world's leading motorsport marketing agency that he founded in 1995 and that was acquired by CSM in 2013.
Zak Brown, Group CEO of CSM said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead CSM in the next chapter of its development. CSM is a great business, with some of the very best talent in sponsorship and sports marketing in the world today. We are still a very young group and have come an incredibly long way in a short time. We are the catalyst for our clients' passion for sports and I am confident that we are capable of delivering the very greatest experiences for all our clients and their audiences.”
The new structure will take effect from March 24, 2015.
About CSM
CSM Sport & Entertainment is one of the fastest growing sport and entertainment marketing agencies in the world. Part of Chime Communications PLC, CSM offers an end-to-end suite of services for brands, federations, governing bodies and athletes, through internationally recognised, market leading businesses including CSM Strategic, Essentially, Fast Track, ICON, iLUKA, SJX and JMI.
Together all CSM businesses strive to put our clients and people at the heart of the world's greatest experiences in sport and entertainment.
The group employs more than 850 people worldwide across 22 offices in 15 countries including; Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Auckland, Cape Town, Connecticut, Dunedin, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Indianapolis, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Moscow, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Sochi, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
For more information and updates on CSM, please visit www.csm.com or @CSM_worldwide on twitter.
About Jim Glover:
Jim began his career in the sports industry at IMG working in the golf client division. In 1994 he set up Lighthouse Communications, one of the first independent agencies to offer the corporate world independent, impartial advice on sponsorship, which he built up over the next ten years to become one of the leading independent consulting agencies in Europe, responsible for creating successful sponsorship programmes for Heineken International, GlaxoSmithKline, and Land Rover. In December 2005, he oversaw the successful acquisition of Lighthouse by leading sports marketing agency Fast Track which in turn was acquired by Chime Communications Plc in 2007. Jim is now Deputy Chairman of Chime’s Sports and Entertainment division, CSM Sport & Entertainment.
About Zak Brown:
Zak Brown (born November 7, 1971) is an American businessman and former professional racing driver, currently residing in London, England. He is the founder and CEO of Just Marketing International (JMI), the world's largest motorsport marketing agency. JMI, which was founded in 1995, was acquired in 2013 by CSM Sport & Entertainment, a division of Chime Communications plc, and Brown became Group Chief Business Development Officer. Brown's accomplishments as a sports marketer have been reflected through multiple industry recognitions, including as a Marketer of the Year by PROMO magazine, being named four times in the INC 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies of the Year, and his inclusion in the SportsBusinessJournal’s Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame, having been presented the award three times.
Source: CSM Sport & Entertainment