James Warburton confirmed CEO of V8 Supercars
Former Ten boss James Warburton will take up the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role at V8 Supercars motor racing circuit on June 1, the organisation has announced.
Warburton is “a world-class senior executive with vast expertise in the media, marketing and advertising sectors,” the statement said. The announcement comes a fortnight after rumours of his appointment first emerged.
James Warburton is V8 Supercars new CEO
Director of V8 Supercars Andrew Gray said Warburton’s extensive track record in television, sales and commercial fields make him an ideal fit for the role.
I would love to be in the Seven boardroom as James asks for a favour……..
Initially, as a fan, I was pumped to see someone with some media savvy and clout such as James take the helm of the sport – as god knows it deserves more than it received in its last TV deal. However, after chatting with mates some concerns came out:
– The dude really pissed of Seven when he left, and Ten fired him, meaning straight off the bat he will be fighting an uphill battle with networks to secure an awesome deal (however still believe he can manage this, if everyone plays grown up).
– CEO of a sport must have a clear passion, which I am not sure James does (happy to be proven wrong). The past two CEOs have bombed out for that reason in particular.
I firmly believe V8 Supercars has the potential to be Australia’s #1 sport, as it already offers more action, better role-models and more of a truely national experience than any other major sporting code – but to get to that #1 spot we need a great leader, not just a good one…..