Renamed Millennium Dome’s owner picks commercial director

Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owner of The O2, formerly the Millennium Dome, has appointed former Virgin Radio sales director Lee Roberts as commercial director. He has already taken over the role. The O2 is due to open in 2007.

Roberts will be responsible for signing up the project’s founding partners. He will be seeking sponsors from a range of sectors, including airlines, car manufacturers, confectionery brands and soft drinks companies.

AEG is redeveloping the Dome site as a leisure complex and has already signed O2 for a six-year naming rights deal and Credit Suisse as the official banking and financial services partner.

Roberts left Virgin in May, following the appointment of chief executive Fru Hazlitt (MW May 12). He was made sales chief at Virgin in January 2003, after the departure of Mark Swift (MW January 9, 2003). He held a number of positions at the station and was part of the launch team in 1993. Former GCap Media head of agency sales Nick Hewat replaced Roberts as sales director.

AEG has also appointed Becky Grote as marketing manager. She joins from the Evening Standard and will report to chief marketing officer Lesley Saville.