A senior PR search for one of world sport’s most recognisable brands
Overview
The NBA is one of the world’s most recognisable sports organisations, with a growing presence across Europe and the Middle East. The organisation required a senior communications leader to oversee regional PR strategy, support commercial growth and strengthen brand visibility across a complex international market.
The Senior Director of PR and Communications role sat within the NBA EME Senior Leadership Team, working with regional stakeholders and the NBA Global Headquarters communications team in New York.
Challenge
The NBA needed a communications leader who could operate across multiple markets, business functions and stakeholder groups.
The role led the NBA’s communications strategy across Europe and the Middle East, overseeing regional PR activity and supporting key business areas including media, digital, fan engagement, partnerships, merchandising, events and youth basketball development. It worked closely with the Communications team at NBA Global Headquarters in New York and formed part of the NBA EME Senior Leadership Team.
This created a highly specific brief. The successful candidate needed to understand sport, media, consumer culture, commercial growth and brand protection, while representing one of the biggest brands in world sport.
The NBA also wanted to see talent from a range of industries. The brief was not limited to traditional sports communications. It required a search process that could compare senior communications leaders from different sectors and assess who could best translate global brand experience into a high-profile, commercially driven international sports organisation operating across diverse markets.
The role was London-based, with regular travel across Europe and the Middle East and occasional travel to the US, adding another practical layer to the search.
Solution
Executives in Sport Group delivered a targeted executive search across sport, FMCG, music, entertainment, media, agency networks, technology, consumer brands, leagues, federations and multinational organisations.
The search focused on senior communications leaders with experience building brands, managing multi-market PR activity and advising senior stakeholders. A proactive headhunting approach gave access to candidates who were established in high-profile roles and unlikely to be actively seeking a move.
Rather than presenting a single narrow talent pool, the process gave the NBA visibility across several relevant markets. Shortlists were developed from each target area, allowing the organisation to compare communications leaders from a range of backgrounds and industries against the same strategic brief.
Candidates were assessed against the core requirements of the role, including regional media knowledge, crisis communications, executive counsel, agency management, stakeholder influence and experience working within a global matrix structure.
The search was led by EISG’s Eddie Koppoe, bringing specialist knowledge across partnerships, commercial, business development and communications. It was positioned around the scale of the NBA brand and the opportunity to shape PR and communications strategy across Europe and the Middle East. This helped engage candidates with experience building brands, sports properties and consumer-facing organisations in new markets.
Outcome
Executives in Sport Group supported the NBA in identifying a senior communications leader with the experience to shape reputation, build visibility and deliver multi-market narratives across Europe and the Middle East. The process saw 18 candidates rigorously assessed, with a carefully curated shortlist of 4 presented to the client, and 3 progressing through to final interviews following detailed evaluation and stakeholder engagement. The entire process, from initial briefing through to final appointment, was completed within 11 weeks.
“From the outset, we knew this search required a broader view of the market. The successful candidate brought more than 15 years’ strategic communications experience, with a track record of launching products, driving adoption and shaping reputation for global brands including Spotify, adidas, Meta and PlayStation. Their experience aligned closely with the brief, spanning flagship product launches, market expansion, executive profiling and high-stakes reputation management across B2B, consumer and cultural audiences.” – said Eddie Koppoe, EISG.
For the NBA, this meant appointing a communications leader with the ability to translate complex regional priorities into compelling narratives, support senior stakeholders and strengthen brand visibility across a fast-moving international market.
The search demonstrated the value of looking beyond obvious sports talent pools and identifying leaders with transferable experience from global brands, cultural platforms and consumer-facing organisations.
Looking to appoint senior communications leaders in sport?
Executives in Sport Group specialises in senior executive appointments across sport. If you would like to learn how EISG can help identify and attract exceptional leadership talent for your organisation, please get in touch here.