Ironman, the global organizer of endurance races, has bolstered its senior leadership team with the addition of Matt Scammell as executive vice president of global partnerships.
In the role, he will be tasked with “developing new and innovative partnerships" with brands to "elevate the athlete experience, enrich the endurance sport community, and grow the reach and positive impact of the Ironman Group and its partners across triathlon, trail running, road running, and cycling.”
Scammell will lead the global partnerships team in supporting the growth of events across triathlon, trail running, road running, and cycling, and developing partnerships with brands across a wide variety of products, services, and experiences.
He will also lead the team in continuing to “innovate the athlete experiences”, working with partners to create activations both digitally and at events.
Scammell joins Ironman after serving as the chief commercial officer at the all-electric single-seater motor racing series Formula E, where he oversaw sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, licensing, and retail revenue.
The experienced commercial executive began his time in the sports industry with English soccer giants Manchester United where he spent nine years and served as the head of global sponsorship before joining Premier League rivals Liverpool as commercial director.
Matthieu van Veen, chief business officer for the Ironman Group, has now said: “We are excited to welcome Matt to the team. He has a deep understanding of how to develop innovative partnerships that inspire communities, enrich the customer experience, and elevate the love people have for brands.
“Matt’s experiences leading global businesses and teams across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States will be instrumental in the future growth and success of Ironman, and we look forward to Matt’s positive impact on our team, the business, and our global community of athletes and partners.”
Scammel is the latest addition to Ironman’s senior management team after Scott DeRue was named as chief executive in January.
DeRue succeeded Andrew Messick, who stepped down after 12 years in the role. Messick remained a stakeholder and board member in the company.
During Messick’s tenure, Ironman grew into the world’s largest organizer of mass participation events and expanded its remit into road running, trail running, road cycling, mountain biking, and digital training platforms.
Originally owned by Providence Equity Partners when Messick came on board, Ironman was acquired by the Chinese Dalian Wanda conglomerate in 2015. It was then sold to US media group Advance Publications in July 2020, with private equity firm Orkila Capital co-investing in the company.
The latter deal was worth $730 million and since then, the company has expanded its race calendar significantly, as well as its sponsorship portfolio.
Advance’s ownership stable includes magazine group Conde Nast, as well as stakes in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Reddit. Orkila Capital, meanwhile, has invested in MMA promotion Bellator and Belgium soccer’s Club Brugge.
