A-B InBev Tabs Former ESPN Exec Blaise D'Sylva To Lead Sports Marketing

D'Sylva is leaving ESPN for A-B

Anheuser-Busch named BLAISE D'SYLVA VP/Media, Sports & Entertainment Marketing. D'Sylva, who most recently served as ESPN Senior Dir & Sales Manager based in Chicago, will join A-B on Jan. 16 and report to VP/U.S. Marketing PAUL CHIBE. Before joining ESPN, D'Sylva served as Dir of Media Integration for Allstate and spent nine years at Starcom MediaVest Group (A-B). AD AGE's E.J. Schultz noted D'Sylva replaces MARK WRIGHT, who "left the brewer for AT&T last summer." D'Sylva joins A-B after it brought on Starcom to "handle U.S. media planning and research duties.” He will oversee his former employer "as the brewer’s new media agency.” D’Sylva's responsibilities “will include the NFL sponsorship deal,” which is estimated at $50M a year. A-B also “invests heavily” in MLB, NBA, UFC, MLS and NASCAR (ADAGE.com, 1/3). In St. Louis, Amir Kurtovic noted the addition of D’Sylva comes after “several prominent experienced marketing executives left A-B’s sports advertising division over the last year” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/3).