Top ISL man leaves after strategy row

ISL Worldwide parent the ISSM Group has parted company with its chief executive following a dispute over the future strategy of the sports marketing giant.

Heinz Schurtenberger, who has been chief executive and head of ISSM’s group management board for four years, has already left and been replaced by Daniel Beauvois, managing director of the group’s TV and media division.

The move comes as ISL Worldwide is poised to sign German Internet company T-Online to sponsor the ATP Tour’s Tennis Masters series in a &£4.5m-a-year deal. T-Online will sponsor the next three events and then make a decision on whether to extend the contract.

Last year, ISL paid $1.2bn (&£780m) for the ten-year marketing, broadcast and licensing rights for the series, which was previously known as the Super 9s.

Beauvois is understood to have been one of the driving forces behind the Masters deal.

But T-Online is only the second headline sponsor out of a possible nine to sign for the series, although existing contracts preclude a number of clients becoming involved.

Newsweek became the first headline sponsor earlier this year, when it signed a three-year $25m (&£17m) deal (MW March 30). Three other sponsors, Fila, Lanson Champagne and Waterford Crystal have secured supplier contracts.