In her first structural change since she was named president of Soccer United Marketing, Kathy Carter has shifted the company’s business development operations under the wing of David Wright, SUM’s vice president of partnership marketing.
The move was sparked by the departure of the company’s former vice president of business development, Michael Gandler, who joined IMG College in April.
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“I needed somebody who could oversee the commercial space and Dave has done a great job with partnerships, so it made sense to expand his role,” said Carter, who was named SUM president last December. “He’s been our lead guy with renewals, so we added the new business piece to his responsibilities.”
Wright, who joined Major League Soccer in 2000, will now hold the title of vice president of global sponsorships. In addition to the 11 employees in SUM’s partnership marketing division, Wright will oversee the five-member business development team. The business development staff was bolstered in July with the addition of Mark Foxton, who stepped into Gandler’s former position after leaving Madison Square Garden, where he was vice president of marketing for the New York Rangers.
A source familiar with SUM said its success during the last half-decade in bringing new corporate partners to MLS, the U.S. national teams and the Mexican national teams has shifted the company’s focus from developing new partnerships to renewing existing ones. In the last 10 months SUM has renewed MLS partnerships with Panasonic, Visa, Makita, Pepsi, NAPA Auto Parts, Starwood Hotels, Continental Tire and Anheuser-Busch, and signed new deals with Bimbo bakeries, Allstate Insurance, Jeld-Wen windows and doors and El Jimador Tequila.
Carter acknowledged that partnership renewals have grown in importance, but said the new broadcast partnership between MLS and NBC and Univision has created opportunities for new business.
“We’ve done well, but you’re never sold out,” Carter said. “Our philosophy is you either evolve or you are stale.”
Doug Quinn, former president of SUM, said Wright’s background in business and soccer, both as a coach and player, make him a natural fit to oversee partnerships. Wright’s new position, Quinn said, will be similar to the one held by Carter before she stepped into the role of president.
“The structure remains the same, it’s just that the players are rising up,” Quinn said. “Kathy needs to be freed up to be more involved with the strategic parts of the business and not bogged down with the day-to-day stuff.”
Betty Noonan, head of marketing for Panasonic North America, said Wright’s knowledge of the business goals of SUM’s partners has helped him manage the company’s sponsorships. Panasonic recently renewed its partnership with MLS and added the U.S. national team to its soccer portfolio.
“During the negotiations he steadfastly stuck to our goal of getting Panasonic products into stadiums,” Noonan said. “He understands what Panasonic needs to sell.”
