Zug, Switzerland – Infront Sports & Media is to strengthen the management of its endurance and mass participation property portfolio to increase strategic focus on this growing business segment. A new and dedicated Active Lifestyle & Endurance unit will be created with immediate effect, led by Infront’s long-standing executive Hans-Peter Zurbruegg from Infront’s headquarters in Zug.
Hans-Peter Zurbruegg has been with Infront since 2001. For the last nine years, he headed the Group’s Business Development team. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Corporate Finance from the Universities of Zurich and Lucerne and an MBA from Kellogg/Northwestern University. Hans-Peter Zurbruegg will remain a member of Infront’s Extended Management Team.
In his new role, he will oversee all Active Lifestyle & Endurance related activities of the Infront Group including operations, marketing and strategic initiatives. The company’s portfolio comprises the BMW Berlin-Marathon, the World Marathon Majors (WMM), the IRONMAN series as well as the European corporate running series B2RUN and the Happy 10k running events held in China.
Philippe Blatter, Infront’s President & CEO commented: “By creating a dedicated Active Lifestyle & Endurance unit, Infront is further intensifying its strategic focus on this important growth segment. We aim at both embracing the surging sponsor demand as well as triggering further development, offering premium events for participants and impactful platforms for brands. Hans-Peter Zurbruegg not only brings tremendous industry experience and strong personal passion for endurance sports, but has already, through his previous role, initiated and successfully driven the advancement of this segment.”
Hans-Peter Zurbruegg, Director Active Lifestyle & Endurance, commented: “Since 2011, Infront has developed into one of the key players in the global field of endurance and mass participation sports. We now manage a full spectrum of top properties, including elite, amateur and corporate events. I am looking forward to further expanding Infront’s footprint in this strategic area together with our specialised team. Our focus is to secure additional properties as well as new markets based on our broad experience and proven concepts. Covering the entire value chain, Infront will remain the first point of contact across the global Active Lifestyle & Endurance segment.”
Replacing Hans-Peter Zurbruegg’s position as Director of Business Development is Christian Mueller, a senior member of the Business Development team who has been with Infront since 2006. Previously, he was at McKinsey & Company as an Engagement Manager and studied at the Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH) from which he also obtained a PhD in Technical Chemistry. In addition to his new role, Christian Mueller will join Infront’s Extended Management Team.
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football and summer sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 160 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of experienced staff working from 25 offices across 12 countries, delivering 4,000 event days of top class sport around the world every year.