M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment appoints Richie Butterworth
M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment has appointed Richie Butterworth as head of sponsorship.
Butterworth has 16 years’ experience in marketing and sponsorships, and joins from TLA Worldwide where he was general manager of the Sydney office, leading sponsorship and sports marketing programs for brands such as Woolworths and Ampol.
Richie Butterworth has been named head of sponsorships at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment
Butterworth’s appointment is one of a number of recent developments at the agency, starting with global CEO, Steve Martin, relocating to Sydney from London in 2019 with a view to expanding the business into South East Asia.
Last year, saw the agency bring on board head of communications, Krystyna Frassetto, but lost its long-serving managing director, Jamie Gilbert Smith.
Frasetto will be working alongside Butterworth under the new internal structure of a ‘partnerships model’ that was announced at the same time as Gilbert Smith’s departure. The pair will report directly into Martin.
Butterworth said of his appointment: “It has never been more important for brands to connect with consumers’ passions to allow them to create and maintain authentic relationships with their customers. Sport and entertainment are at the heart of these passions.
“I’m very excited to be joining such an iconic agency and look forward to working closely with our clients to achieve their business objectives by delivering strategies and campaigns that connect them with their consumers through their passions.”
Martin said: “Richie’s appointment couldn’t come at a more relevant time for our Australian business. Over the past few months our Australian team has gone from strength-to-strength, gaining real momentum in Q4 and adapting to what will be the ‘new normal’ in sports marketing. Bringing Richie’s talent and experience on board will only build on this and I am personally looking forward to seeing what’s to come.”
2020 also saw Sport & Entertainment launch a lifestyle division, M&C Fabric, which targets brands in fashion, food, beauty, and health, and will be lead by Frassetto.
