Octagon announced a newly structured European leadership team. EVP SEBASTIAN SMITH will now lead all marketing and business development across the European region, and 11-year agency veteran JOEL SEYMOUR-HYDE will head the agency's U.K. business. Smith and Seymour-Hyde are part of a European leadership team led by Octagon Marketing Int'l President JEFF EHRENKRANZ (Octagon). ... Effective Thursday, MATTHIAS PIETZA will be the new sales director at Infront Austria. He will report to Managing Dir MICHAEL WITTA. Pietza previously held roles at IMG and his last assignment was with Tridem as managing director and partner of Tridem Germany for three years (Infront). ... The European Tour appointed DAVID PRYLES as commercial director in Australasia. This is the latest step in an alliance between the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour, initiated last summer (European Tour).
COACHES/MANAGERS: League One side Peterborough United sacked Manager GRANT MCCANN "after a run of seven matches without a win." The 37-year-old former Northern Ireland int'l, who made 185 appearances for Peterborough and is a former club captain, had been in charge since May '16. Assistant manager DAVID OLDFIELD "will take caretaker charge" (BBC, 2/25). ... NEIL JUKES resigned as head coach of Championship Rugby side Leigh Centurions after the club won just one of its first four matches of the season. Jukes "steered Leigh into Super League after an 11-year absence during his first season in charge" in '16 (BBC, 2/26).
