Paul Sergeant, the former chief executive of Australia’s Etihad Stadium, hopes to bring niche event content to the country under his new management company, Paul Sergeant Events (PSE).
The Melbourne-based firm’s core function is to provide advisory services to the rights-owners of fringe sports events and venues within Australia that are often in need of support in order to grow.
Sergeant said in a statement that he believes “there is an array of quality, niche event content around the world that is seeking to expand beyond its own boundaries but doesn’t necessarily have the resources or knowledge to take on a move into Australia.”
Prior to PSE, Sergeant held the chief executive role at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, which he stepped down from in 2016. He also held lead roles at London’s Wembley Stadium, Qudos Bank Arena and Suncorp Arena.
PSE’s team includes chief financial officer Chris Charleson, a chartered accountant who was the former chief operations officer and CFO of Ticketek and Nine Events based in Sydney. Head of commercial, Sarah Brady, previously headed up many consumer business and sport presentation departments at an array of sporting clubs including the Brisbane Lions, South Sydney Rabbitohs and GWS Giants. Glen Rainsbury, PSE’s head of operations, has held a combination of sales and operational roles at Brisbane Entertainment Centre and The Gabba as well as with the Royal Horticultural Society with the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows in London.
“I’ve always worked on the basis that you need to know where the talented people are and these people are among the best in the industry here in Australia. Chris, Sarah and Glen are highly respected across the sport and entertainment business internationally. They know what they’re doing, have immense experience and aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen,” said Sergeant.
The three executives worked together at the Etihad Stadium, and Sergeant said: “During the three and a half years we worked together we secured and successfully delivered a vast array of massive international events including the world record breaking UFC193, Australian Speedway Grand Prix, Edinburgh Military Tattoo as well as concerts by Coldplay, Adele, The Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and many others.
“In addition to delivering major events, we were also integral to many varied improvements and developments at the venue. Because of our experience, catering, technology and playing surface improvements were among the many areas that made significant progress under our watch and this expertise is now available for others to tap into.
“Of course, none of this success is possible without the support of a wide network of others. We have had the benefit of working with a vast number of staff, freelance operators and other specialist organisations. We’re well networked across the globe and know who to turn to when we need to when it comes to delivering successful projects anywhere across Australia and New Zealand. These are exciting times for a new business and we anticipate making announcements about several projects in the coming months.”
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