In the wake of the highly successful 2025 ESA Awards in partnership with Pearlfinders, three category winners will come together on Friday 25 April to reflect on how they managed to hit the ground running in the first year of a sponsorship.
This special ESA Webinar will be hosted by Matthew Leopold, Chair of the ESA Awards Committee, who recently wrote about why 2025 has already been the year that redefined sponsorship forever.
Speaker line-up
Komatsu & Atlassian Williams Racing – Creating Value Together (Sport Sponsorship > €5M)
- Andrés Andrade | Manager Global Brand Transformation | Komatsu
- Stuart Owen | Group Director, Account Management | rEvolution
The Smirnoff Collective Stage (Event of the Year)
- Michael Green | Sponsorship Director | Verve
ALL x SAIL GP – ALL on Board! (Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship)
- Solène Darde-Genton | Global Vice-President Sponsorships & Events | Accor
Solène Darde-Genton
Global Vice-President Sponsorships & Events, Accor
Solène is an accomplished marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in financial services and hospitality. Currently serving as Global Vice-President Sponsorships & Events at Accor, she leads sponsorships strategy and activation globally. When she joined Accor in 2020, she oversaw music and gastronomy partnerships. Solène began her career in top communications agencies including Havas and TBWA Corporate before joining American Express in 2006. She has held multiple leadership roles across France and Europe, driving growth through strategic brand, product, and partnerships initiatives.
Michael Green
Sponsorship Director, Verve
Michael has over 18 years’ experience in sports and brand marketing across the UK and Ireland. He has delivered global sponsorship activity for major events including the Rugby World Cup, Ryder Cup, FIFA World Cups, UEFA EUROs and the London 2012 Olympics, working with brands like Coca-Cola, DHL, BP and Pepsi. He has held marketing and sponsorship management roles at AIB and Sky Ireland, and now drives impactful sponsorship activations across sport, music, and culture at Verve – The Live Agency.
