Championship football club Southampton has appointed Phil Parsons as its new chief executive.
Parsons (pictured) joins the recently relegated club from technology company Dyson, where he spent 15 years in a number of senior leadership roles. He most recently worked as president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, running Dyson’s business across the region.
In his new role, Parsons will oversee all aspects of Southampton’s strategy and operations, working closely with ownership group Sport Republic. He will sit on the board of directors of St Mary’s Football Group and the club.
Parsons said: “The owners have been extremely open with me, sharing their learnings and challenges from last season, and importantly their bold and ambitious goals for the future. I am attracted to the project, to bounce back stronger and rebuild, with a clear focus to get the club back to the Premier League.
“Together as an organisation, we will do the best we can for the fans aiming to move forward in all areas. I look forward to meeting fans and people associated with the club over the next couple of months.”
David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has been elected president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) ahead of next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Lappartient was elected ahead of Emmanuelle Bonnet Oulaldj, joint leader of the Workers’ Sports and Gymnastics Federation, receiving 36 of the 45 votes cast. His term will run until 2025, the planned end date of his predecessor Brigitte Henriques, who quit the role in May.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix, has appointed Oriol Sagrera i Saula as its new chief executive.
Sagrera is the secretary general of the Department of Business and Labour of the Generalitat de Catalunya. He has been a member of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya board for two years and has overseen the recent digitalisation and sustainability efforts at the track.
His appointment as chief executive ties in with plans to accelerate the transformation of the circuit following the launch of its strategic plan last October. The plan aims to make the venue more environmentally and economically sustainable, with a clear commitment to digitalisation and diversification of activities.
Mitsugi Ogata has been elected president of the local organising committee for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Ogata, president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, was elected during a meeting at Japan Sport Olympic Square in Tokyo.
The World Athletics Championships will take place at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, which was built for the postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Japanese capital. Tokyo was selected to host the event last July, seeing off competition from Nairobi, Silesia and Singapore.
Digital ticketing company Tixserve has appointed Ian Davis as its global head of revenue.
Davis joins Tixserve from the Football Association of Wales (FAW), where he served as chief commercial and engagement officer. At Tixserve, he will be tasked with seeking new business opportunities and maximising the company’s revenue streams.
Davis’ appointment forms part of Tixserve’s strategic growth plans, with continued investment in talent development, partnerships and service delivery innovation to drive results with existing and new clients.
Tixr, a primary ticketing and event commerce marketplace, has appointed Irene Hedges as chief strategy officer.
In the newly created role, Hedges will lead the company’s strategic growth initiatives. She has over 15 years of experience working in leadership roles across the entertainment industry, most recently as senior vice-president of corporate business development and strategy at Warner Bros.
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.
