Sponsorship manager takes on football role at Castrol
Motor oil company Castrol has appointed Simon Meehan as sponsorship manager for Europe and Africa.
Meehan will take responsibility for the company’s partnership with football’s governing body FIFA for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tournaments, the biggest in the company’s 100-year history.
In addition, he will also be responsible for ensuring that the sponsorship provides the maximum return on investment for the business at a time when many are questioning the value of high-profile sponsorship deals.
A recent poll by Soccerex and NSP Sport found nearly three-quarters (71%) of clubs and 66% of non-club respondents expect to see a high turnover of sponsors in the next five years as the economic climate increases pressure on brands to show a return.
Meehan joins from Ford Europe where he was responsible for running the UEFA Champions League sponsorship programme and Ford’s World Rally Car sponsorship in 2007.
He also led Ford’s “Feelfootball” programme, which featured football stars including Jose Mourinho and Patrick Vieira. He will report to BP Lubricants Europe and Africa’s interim head of marketing services, Marc Lawn.
Castrol recently signed Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo as a global ambassador for the brand, making him the face of a number of Castrol football initiatives and campaigns.
