Marketing and brand experience agency CSM has appointed the highly renowned sports and entertainment industry executive, Charlie Beauchamp, as its inaugural country manager for Saudi Arabia, highlighting the business’ firm, long-term commitment to the Kingdom and its growing sports and entertainment sector.
Beauchamp is one of the most highly respected and experienced sports marketers in the EMEA region. He brings over 25 years of experience to the role, during which time he has been involved in the leadership and formation of several leading agencies. Over the past 10 years, he has worked across a variety of Saudi sport-focused projects.
The new appointment comes ahead of CSM opening the doors to its first office in the Kingdom later this year, which will be its fourth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, adding to a network that includes Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha. The move highlights the agency’s belief in the exciting future of sports and entertainment in Saudi Arabia, underpinned by the Kingdom’s ambitions and investment, which are fast positioning the country as a key player in the international sports and entertainment landscape.
CSM group chief executive, Matthew Vandrau, commented: “Charlie’s appointment is hugely exciting for us, and marks a really important milestone for our business as we work towards establishing our business license in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m delighted to welcome Charlie to the CSM family. I know we have got the right person to join our Middle East leadership team, which already boasts over 30 years’ experience in the region. Charlie’s own extensive experience, including that of the Saudi market, is testament to the importance of this expansion to us. We are committed to further investment in the Kingdom and to unlocking exciting new opportunities for the people of Saudi Arabia over the next decade and beyond.”
CSM has been operating in the GCC for over thirty years and currently has a team of more than 200 people working across the region. Current clients include Mubadala Investment Company, ADQ, NEOM, HSBC, Emirates Airline, Public Investment Fund, UAE Team Emirates and EXPO 2020 Dubai. The expansion will see CSM begin to grow a permanent team on the ground in Saudi Arabia, building on its significant experience of working in the Saudi market over the past five years, which has included work on behalf of the Public Investment Fund, Saudia Cargo, the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation, the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, Coca-Cola and most recently NEOM.
Beauchamp has consulted for a wide range of sports marketing clients over the past three decades – from advising BP on their sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, to Ford on their sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, and Lucozade Sport’s sponsorship of the English Premier League. He began his journey in the Kingdom in 2008 working with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, where he led a team of global experts in writing the blueprint for football in Saudi. This was followed by establishing the commercial structure for what is now the MBS League, as well as organising the Saudi Super Cup in London in 2015, 2016 and 2018, and helping Saudia to activate their partnerships of events such as The King’s Cup Final.
Earlier in his career, Beauchamp was Managing Director of Lighthouse Communications which became part of Fast Track in 2007, before setting up Threshold Sports with two friends – including double Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell. He also founded Access Sport in 2003, with a mission to give more children, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, access to a wide range of quality local sport; enabling community sports clubs to grow participation in inner-city areas.
Commenting on his appointment, Beauchamp said: “I’m extremely happy to be joining such an exciting business as CSM, and especially one with such strong credentials in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is a country of which I am extremely fond – it is a nation who’s ambition and long-term vision really excite me, and I am very proud to have been tasked with ensuring CSM builds a long-term, sustainable business in the Kingdom, one that is closely aligned with the objectives of Vision 2030.
“We look forward to making a positive impact in the market – one of our key objectives is to attract Saudi talent to our business as we believe that our world-class people have been, and will always be, the cornerstone for our success.”
