The Board of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has unanimously elected Stuart Wareman to serve as Chair and Risto Oksanen as Vice-Chair.
Stuart Wareman succeeds Sophie Morris, who stood down in June 2026 after three years as Chair and 10 years on the Board of the not-for-profit membership association.
Stuart has been an ESA Board Director since 2017 while working in a variety of senior industry roles, culminating in four years in Paris as SVP Global Sponsorship, Events & Experiences at Accor. In that role, Stuart led the team coordinating and managing the hotel group’s global sponsorships, member experiences and corporate hospitality.
The portfolio included Paris Saint-Germain, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Rugby World Cup France 2023, Roland-Garros, the Accor Arena, AEG, the Accor Stadium, SailGP & the Americas Cup, as well as multiple entertainment venues and food festivals around the world.
Before Accor, Stuart led the Partnerships team for Marriott in Europe, Middle East and Africa for nine years, including its credit card businesses and relationships with airlines, car rental and payment services in addition to major sponsorships such as Manchester United, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, NFL and AEG. Prior to this he worked for ten years at WPP sponsorship agency MEC Access (now Wavemaker).
Risto Oksanen was first elected to the ESA Board in 2019 and currently works as Partnership Director of the Finnish Football League alongside his agency business as CEO and Partner of RCBA Oy, where he works with brands and right holders in the sports, events, culture and movie sectors.
ESA Chair, Stuart Wareman, said: “I’m immensely proud and honoured to take on the role of ESA Chair, as I passionately believe in the power of sponsorship and the value it can create. I want to thank Sophie Morris for the strong legacy she leaves, the Board for their confidence and also to congratulate Risto on his election as Vice-Chair.
“I look forward to working alongside Risto, the Board and the fantastic office team to continue to drive ESA’s growth and influence, and to deepen relationships with our members and sponsorship professionals across Europe so we can help grow this wonderful industry.”
ESA Vice-Chair, Risto Oksanen, said: “I’m delighted that Stuart is taking on the role of Chair, and honoured to support him as Vice-Chair. I joined the ESA Board in 2019 and it’s been a pleasure working with sponsorship professionals across Europe ever since.
“ESA has become a genuinely more European organisation in that time, and I want to do my part in helping ESA to become the leading sponsorship community across the continent. I look forward to working with Stuart, the Board and our brilliant office team.”
ESA General Manager, Karen Fan, said: “I look forward to welcoming Stuart as our new ESA Chair. He has been a highly influential member of the ESA Board for almost a decade, providing strategic oversight and direction to the Marketing and Sustainability workstreams while also lending his expertise and public-speaking skills to ESA Event panels.
“Risto has also become a pillar of the ESA community at the helm of our National Representatives working group and the Events workstream, and I’m confident that ESA will continue to flourish under the leadership of Stuart and Risto. We will work towards ambitious growth targets while offering great value to our members and building on our reputation as the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship.”
The appointment of a new Chair follows the 2025 election by ESA members of four female Board Directors that led to the Association being led by a female-majority for the first time.
Visit the Who We Are page of the ESA website to see the full set of Board profiles.
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About ESA
The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship. We inspire more successful sponsorships, drive confidence in decision making and grow a diverse community through world-leading education, events and resources, industry connections and recognition of excellence.
A not-for-profit membership association, ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, arts and culture to environment and the community. Its members include sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers.
Media contact
Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager
