A1 Holdings names chief executive

A1 Grand Prix (A1GP), the World Cup of motor sport, has appointed Pete da Silva (pictured) as the new head of its parent company A1 Holdings. He replaces Bruce Holmes, the acting chief executive who has now moved to a different role in the group.

Da Silva, who joins in January, will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the series and take on responsibility for its future expansion as the company moves ahead with its plans for an initial public offering (IPO).

He joins from Siemens, where he was group chief executive of its South African operation. He also held a variety of other roles at the telecoms company including head of business development and chief executive of telecommunications.

In August, A1GP appointed JWT and MindShare to handle its £8m advertising and branding business with a remit to develop a long-term brand communications strategy for the series and implement it across 15 markets (MW August 17).

The competition, which was founded by a member of the Dubai royal family, pits more than 20 nations against each other in a unique driver-versus-driver and country-against-country format. The countries involved represent 80% of the world’s population.