SBC is expanding its services to the sports and gaming industries with the appointment of George Harborne in the newly-created Director of SBC Sponsorship role.
Reporting to CEO and Founder Rasmus Sojmark, Harborne will build the new Sports Sponsorship division within SBC. The Director of Sponsorship will facilitate connections and relations between rights-holders, such as sports clubs and associations, and betting and gaming industry operators to assist with acquisition, activation and strategic development across sponsorship programmes.
Harborne, who has over a decade of professional experience working in the sports industry, joins SBC from Yellow Sports Marketing, where he served as Director. The newly-appointed Director of SBC Sponsorship had previously held senior roles at the professional rugby league club Salford Red Devils (Commercial Director), the international sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE (Senior Manager – Betting Category), Aston Villa Football Club (Head of Partner Acquisition and Partner Services), West Bromwich Albion Football Club (Head of Partnerships and Interim Head of Sales) and Derby County Football Club (Senior Partnership Sales Executive).
SBC CEO & Founder Rasmus Sojmark said: “We are delighted to welcome George to the team. He is an accomplished sports business executive skilled in negotiating partnerships and overseeing their development and activation. Helping sports clubs and organisations in their efforts to find and connect with sponsors and buyers from our industry aligns with SBC’s growth plans, and George is the right person to lead this initiative.”
Harborne commented: “I am excited to bring my experience helping companies achieve their sponsorship and revenue goals to SBC. I was drawn to this opportunity because of the company’s commitment to developing meaningful business connections within the iGaming and sports betting industry, and the unrivalled relationships that SBC has in this space. I cannot wait to help the team deliver even more value for our clients through this new offering.”
SBC Chief Operating Officer, David Knight, added: “George is a fantastic addition to our team. His knowledge of sports sponsorships will help SBC’s friends and clients build a lasting rapport with sports teams across the world and add an incremental revenue stream for our business.”
Harborne is the latest hire in a vast recruitment drive by the media and events company, which now counts over 100 team members — a 40% increase in its global headcount from the beginning of the year to date. His appointment comes after a record-breaking year for SBC and aligns with the company’s exciting expansion plans heading into 2023.
Additionally, the Director of SBC Sponsorship will work closely with SBC’s media, conference and events teams to deliver tailored content for the audience looking to explore the intricacies of sports sponsorship during SBC’s leading events. SBC’s global events portfolio for 2023 includes SBC Summit North America (New Jersey, 9-11 May), CasinoBeats Summit (Malta, 23-25 May), Canadian Gaming Summit (Toronto, 13-15 June), SBC Summit Barcelona (Barcelona, 19-21 September), and SBC Summit Latinoamérica (November 2023).For information about career opportunities with SBC, visit: https://sbcgaming.com/careers/
