Longtime Helios Partners CEO CHRIS WELTON and President TERRENCE BURNS left the agency last month to join Teneo, a N.Y.-based firm that advises companies, non-profits and governments. Teneo is led by former U.S. Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland DECLAN KELLY, and Welton and Burns are the second and third sports execs to join in the last six months. Former Breeders Cup President GREG AVIOLI was named Teneo managing director last year. A Teneo exec declined to say whether or not the agency planned to launch a sports practice. Helios did not return calls seeking comment. Helios Partners’ CHRIS RENNER, who has led the agency’s European operation in Paris, has been named its CEO. Helios COO CHRIS SANDERS is still with the agency. The agency’s top clients are IOC TOP sponsor Dow and ESPN, which hired the agency to assist on its development of the Global X Games. With the departure of both Burns and Welton, Helios loses two of its most established and connected leaders. The duo had been working on the Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games and later led Meridian Management SA, which oversaw sponsorship sales for the IOC from '96-04. Burns left Meridian in '03 to create Helios. Welton and Renner joined the agency in '06. The Amaury Group, a French media company that organizes the Tour de France, took a controlling interest in Helios in the summer of '08. Around The Rings first reported Welton’s and Burns’ departures.
