Puma Head of Business Development Bill Sweeney has been named CEO of the British Olympic Association, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Sweeney takes over for Andy Hunt who left "as part of the major downsizing of the organisation" after London 2012. Sweeney brings "important commercial expertise" to the job, after dealing with "some of the top names in global sport," including long-time Puma client Usain Bolt. Sweeney: "With managerial experience across Europe, the U.S. and Asia with some
of the sports industry’s leading brands, I look forward to working with
all our partners and stakeholders to ensure we have the best-prepared,
best-supported teams competing at their highest levels in the Summer,
Winter, European and Youth Olympic Games" (DAILY MAIL, 10/7). In London, Ben Rumsby wrote Sweeney "will be responsible for directing the day-to-day activities of the BOA," including preparations for the 2014 Sochi and 2016 Rio Olympics, the inaugural 2015 European Games and other events in which Team GB will compete. He has been at Puma since Nov. '10, designing and directing its business strategy for London 2012, and its marketing activities for the recent America’s Cup. BOA Chair Sebastian Coe said, “We had a number of outstanding candidates who put themselves forward for our chief executive position. Bill’s business and sport experience, and his impressive record in developing global sports brands, makes him the right choice for this role. Importantly, Bill knows how to build brands, reach consumers and generate the revenues that are necessary to support our organization" (TELEGRAPH, 10/7).
