Veteran sports marketer WALLY HAYWARD is leaving his position as Cubs Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer to form W Partners, a joint venture with the RICKETTS family that owns the club. W Partners will represent various teams, leagues and athletes on the sell side for sponsorship sales. The Cubs will be the entity’s first client as team pursues an aggressive renovation of Wrigley Field and a new Spring Training facility in Mesa, Ariz., and the Ricketts family seeks to develop a boutique hotel next to Wrigley in partnership with Starwood Corp. Hayward joined the Cubs in November '09 shortly after the Ricketts family purchased the club following a stint as Relay Worldwide Chair & CEO. "I believe strongly in the Ricketts and their mission for the Cubs," Hayward said. "This allows me to continue to try to do great work on behalf of the Cubs but also have that entrepreneurial spirit." With an extensive series of expiring Cubs sponsorship deals following the '13 season, the shift will allow Hayward to focus more specifically on those matters without also having responsibility as he did for marketing, ticketing, broadcasting and other matters. W Partners, more than six months in development, will be based in the Wrigleyville neighborhood near the ballpark. Joining Hayward in the venture will be Cubs Managing Dir of Corporate Partnerships SAMANTHA COGHILL and Partnership Coordinator MEGAN CORNISH. Hayward's position with the Cubs will not be replaced, and the existing sponsorship sales group will now report to Cubs VP/Ticket Sales & Service COLIN FAULKNER.
