McLaren may not have found a replacement for Ron Dennis just yet, but it has made another senior appointment in the meantime. The newly created role of Executive Director of the McLaren Technology Group will be filled by Zak Brown, an established motorsport marketing ace.
Brown founded Just Marketing International, and presided over CSM Sport & Entertainment (which took over JMI) until earlier this year. He also serves as non-executive chairman of the Motorsport Network, the parent company to such portals as Motorsport.com, Motor1.com, Autosport, and F1 Racing magazine.
Short of stepping into Ron Dennis’ shoes as group CEO, his new ole as executive director will apparently see him focusing primarily on the commercial side of the Formula One operation. In that capacity, Brown will be working alongside COO Jonathan Neale and report directly to the executive committee (stacked with Bahraini royal appointees) that’s calling the shots in Dennis’ stead.
Meanwhile “the process of identifying and recruiting a new Group Chief Executive Officer will continue” as the company undertakes “a restructuring programme that will align the Group’s commercial and strategic operations relating to achieving success in Formula 1.”
It won’t be the first time that Brown will be working with McLaren, having brokered several of the team’s current sponsorship deals with the likes of Johnnie Walker, Hilton, and GlaxoSmithKline.
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