New Commercial Team members join Volvo Ocean Race

by Volvo Ocean Race on 26 Jan 2010
Greg Miall (36) has joined the Volvo Ocean Race, due to start on its 11th race around the world in the autumn of 2011, as Commercial Director.

Miall is the former Managing Director of Sport magazine in the UK, and Global Sales Director of newspaper group Metro International. With a background in sponsorship activation, global media and innovative partnerships, he brings considerable commercial experience and influence to this 37-year old global event.

The Volvo Ocean Race is the F1 of sailing, with high-tech teams racing around the world to some of the most interesting venues. Miall’s role encompasses all commercial activities including working with major sponsors to bring on board new teams, venue negotiations across six continents and supplier partnerships across all aspects of the event.

Also joining the commercial team as Brand Manager is New Zealander Gavin Brown (40), formerly responsible for merchandising strategy at the America’s Cup. Brown will be responsible for the look and feel of the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in addition to managing the appointment of official product licensees.

In hiring his team for the 2011-12 race, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad has taken a significantly different approach.

'We have employed the services of top headhunting firm Egon Zender International to select forward thinking and highly motivated candidates from outside the sailing industry. Today’s announcement is the first of several we will be making throughout the spring, as we continue to build our team from the most professional people,' Frostad explained.

Miall, who started work this week in Spain, is looking forward to the different challenges the event offers.
'The Volvo Ocean Race is an incredibly exciting event to be working on with an excellent vision for the future. I am looking forward to working with sponsors and partners to make the next race the most successful yet.'