Alan Pascoe, the former Olympic silver medallist and Vice Chairman of London’s successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Bid, is stepping down from his role as President of CSM – the leading sports and entertainment marketing agency, it was announced today.
Pascoe is generally acknowledged across the business as the pioneer of sports marketing in the UK and went on to create 2 world leading Agencies APi, then CSM. He moved into events and consulting after a successful career on the track as a hurdler winning medals in the Olympics in 1972 and the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
He will continue working with the CSM group of companies as a consultant, offering strategic support with his wealth of experience across the sports and events landscape as well as his own high-level contacts in business and Government – but will also work on a couple of his own projects where he still has a passion to make a difference.
In his previous role as Executive Chairman of CSM, Pascoe was instrumental in persuading his long-standing friend and fellow athlete SebastianCoe, to take over from him at CSM after Seb relinquished his Olympic responsibilities early last year. Sebastian Coe is now Executive Chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment.
Pascoe commented today: “I feel very lucky in many ways to have had the best of both worlds, a successful career as an athlete and then to have used that experience to recognise the value of sport in business and to introduce brands to partner sports events and bring them to life to a wider audience and create some of the most successful events and sponsorships in the business.
“The important part that sport & exercise plays in everyone’s life has never been bigger whether you are a Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah or a Lizzie Yarnold or you are someone who just wants to stay fit and healthy and improve your lifestyle. The success of the Olympics and Paralympics has brought that into sharp focus for the whole of the UK and has already created its own legacy.
He added: “The time is perfect for me to step down now and take a bit of a back seat. I am both very proud and delighted that I am leaving the company in the capable hands of Seb and the talented management team that we have put in place, who can lead by example and drive the business forward, both domestically and globally. I wish them well for the future.”
Sebastian Coe said: “Alan is deservedly recognised and revered as a trailblazer in the business of sports marketing. To all intents and purposes he invented it in the UK and many companies have tried to emulate him ever since with various degrees of success.
“We will certainly all miss him at CSM.”
Pascoe’s first venture was Alan Pascoe Associates Ltd later named API where he was Managing Director and Chair 1983 to 1998. Pascoe sold API in 1998, then started, Fast Track which he has grown into CSM Sport and Entertainment, which is a division of Chime PLC., where he was CEO/Chair of CSM, and then President for the past year, when Seb joined the Company
–ENDS–
• Alan created two of the world’s leading agencies API which he sold to Interpublic, and then launched Fast Track which he grew into CSM and is now part of the Chime PLC. • Alan was part of the team that launched Lucozade Sport which created a new retail category – and then created the first ever sponsorship of then 5 Nations Rugby • He is also known for having created new events and programmes: The National Fun Run – the precursor to the London Marathon, The Richmond International Ice Skating for prime time BBC and ITV television, featuring John Curry, Robin Cousins and Torvill and Dean at their Olympic prime. • Known for the marketing of athletics from 1984 to the early 90’s and then again at the Administrators request Alan helped to take the sport of Athletics out of Administration in 1997 and then ran the events and commercial programme for a year whilst UKA was set up. • From 1984 to 2012 Alan led APA and then Fast Track raising over £100m for the sport, put on more than 200 televised track & field events with over 30 World Records. In the process he led the reorganisation of the in-stadium presentation which transformed the sport worldwide and has been the catalyst for virtually every other sport to significantly upgrade its stadium presentation. • The Agency was a founding Partner of Major League Soccer in the USA • Alan proposed and created the Paralympic World Cup, the first significant window of Television for Paralympians outside of the Paralympic Games. • He created Medal Hopes, which was launched as Visa Team 2012, which provided a marketing platform for the Olympians & Paralympians prior to the final selection for the 2012 Games. • Most recently Alan created Energy Club, where trained Volunteers provide pre and post school exercise and activity programmes, which is now established in 1000 primary schools and is looking for a funding partner to spread Energy Club to at least half of the primary schools in the Country. • Alan has an ambition to lead a successful sponsorship in the Arts through the up coming Burrell Collection World Tour.