Former Tiffany & Co. and ONE marketer Erica Kerner joins sailing league SailGP

Global sailing league SailGP has appointed Erica Kerner (pictured) as chief marketing and communications officer. In her new role, Kerner will focus on growing SailGP’s global audience and building on the company's strong relationships with global distribution and broadcast partners as the league moves from season two to three, starting May 2022. She reports to CEO Russell Coutts.

Coutts said that he welcomes Kerner to SailGP's leadership team, at a time of rapid expansion and aggressive growth. "Her experience working at the biggest sporting events in the world and across some international leading brands has her perfectly placed to join the league at a time when it is establishing itself as one of the fastest growing properties in the international sporting calendar," he added.

Kerner brings with her over 20 years of global experience. She was formerly SVP, head of marketing strategy and partnerships at ONE Championship. She first joined the company in August 2019 as senior advisor. Kerner said in a LinkedIn post that her "Warrior Spirit" really found a home at ONE through working across almost every department as one does in a start-up. "I watched ONE grow to the top of the rankings lists with Nielsen and Facebook and I can’t wait to see what new #ONEs are in store for ONE next," she added. 

Prior to that, Kerner was VP of marketing and communications at Tiffany & Co. She also previously helmed the same role at Ralph Lauren back when she was in Hong Kong. Additionally, Kerner worked for adidas as global director of the brand’s 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games programmes, where she was responsible for all aspects of the company’s marketing, sponsorship, licensing and business development activities. She was also previously Nike’s first head of marketing for China and later a key member of its APAC and global retail marketing teams

Kerner said that she was attracted by the adrenaline and excitement of SailGP, but was really drawn to the company's sense of purpose -- championing a world powered by nature. She is also excited to be joining the company amidst its expansion, and looks forward to continuing to grow SailGP's dedicated fanbase through compelling storytelling. 

"As a marketer, with a passion for sports, this is truly a dream job. I’m also passionately committed to the league’s mission to be the world’s most sustainable sports property, and will be actively promoting and enhancing our various impact projects and initiatives to ensure we are always embracing our purpose to race for the future," she added.

Launched in 2019, SailGP features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe, building to the grand final – and sailing’s top prize of US$1 million. Since its launch, SailGP has been measuring, reducing and contributing its entire carbon footprint and has targeted to reduce its carbon footprint by 55%, as well as committing to being fully powered by nature both on shore and on the water, by 2025. SailGP's official partners include Oracle, Cognizant, Kuehne + Nagel, Rolex, GoPro and AccuWeather.

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