Hope&Glory has appointed Alex Royce as Head of Sport to lead and further grow the independent agency’s sports proposition.
Royce joined Hope&Glory in 2015. Since then, he has worked across brands including adidas, Hotels.com’s Champions League campaigns and the GUINNESS Six Nations Rugby. He has also worked with Red Bull, Paris Saint Germain, Lavazza, DHL, The FA and on the amplification of American Express’ sponsorships of the Wimbledon Championships and Brighton & Hove Albion FC. More broadly the agency works with Toyota in cricket, Lexus in tennis, on KitKat’s Formula 1 activity and with ASICS on performance sports.
In his new role, Royce will lead the development of Hope&Glory’s sports offer, working across existing clients, supporting the agency’s sports specialists and growing its work with brands, rights holders and governing bodies. The offer brings together creative strategy, social and influencer campaigns, sponsorship activation and earned media.
His appointment follows Hope&Glory’s growth in sports work. Royce leads global sports work for Pepsi’s UEFA Champions League partnership and Carlsberg’s Official Beer of UEFA National Team Football and Liverpool FC campaigns. Alongside, he works with the LTA, with IMG on its tennis events and with Buxton on its London Marathon partnership.
James Gordon-MacIntosh, co-founder of Hope&Glory, said: “Alex has spent a decade delivering outstanding work across some of the biggest names in sport. His new role is a reflection of our ambition to grow the practice yet further.
“Alex has always brought a passion for sports-related projects, but combines that with Hope&Glory’s understanding of wider culture and creative-first approach to make stand-out work. His appreciation of fan culture and work at the intersection of lifestyle and sport has already led to stand-out work. We can’t wait to see more of it in the years to come.”
Alex Royce said: “Our sports offering has seen extraordinary growth in recent years, and I’m thrilled to step into the Head of Sport role to drive that momentum forward.
“The agency’s strength has always been converting sponsorship rights into memorable stories, whilst getting our clients without sponsorships into the conversation around major sporting moments.
“With sport now firmly embedded in lifestyle culture and 15 years of agency experience in this space behind us, we are primed to take our work even further. I look forward to helping more brands connect authentically with modern fandom, reaching consumers directly in the places they play.”
The agency is planning to expand its proposition in sports marketing with the creation of a Sports Advisory Group to bring consultancy services in sponsorship strategy, identification and negotiation; crisis and issues; international media consultancy and talent, something Royce has been charged with developing.
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