IRONMAN Taps Newberg as New CMO

Athletes and spectators cheered on age-group athletes as they crossed the finish line up until the 17-hour cut off on Oct. 13 at the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship presented by Amazon. PC: Donald Miralle for IRONMAN

The IRONMAN Group, a Wanda Sports Group company, has named a new chief marketing officer.

Just more than a week before its annual World Championship in Kailua-Kona, The IRONMAN Group on Thursday announced the addition of Ellen Newberg as the company’s new CMO. According to an organizational press release, Newberg brings nearly 20 years in the sports marketing and sales field, including eight years with Feld Entertainment and nine years in leadership roles with Professional Bull Riders (PBR), most recently as its CMO.

Newberg will oversee the marketing of events for the world’s largest mass participation sports platform, including IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3, Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and the Epic Series. Her functional responsibilities will include event marketing, athlete development programs, digital platforms and content development.

“We are excited to add (Newberg) to our core leadership team,” said Matthieu Van Veen, chief revenue officer for The IRONMAN Group. “(Newberg) has deep firsthand knowledge of our athletes and demonstrated years of success in sports and entertainment marketing. She is a proven leader and will be able to contribute immediately to the success of our events through event marketing and programs.”

Newberg will be responsible for overseeing the planning, development and execution of the organization’s marketing and advertising initiatives using market research, pricing, product marketing, marketing communications, advertising and public relations. She will also be tasked with distributing its message across all channels and to targeted audiences.

“This represents the ultimate opportunity to fuse two of my great passions: business, marketing in particular, and mass participation sports,” said Newberg. “I am a long-time runner and have competed in triathlons since the mid-2000s. It’s a privilege to work for an organization that has the ability to improve individuals’ lives, unify disparate communities and cultures, and whose inherent belief is ‘Anything is Possible.’”

During her time with PBR — a bull riding organization that features more than 700 bull riders in over 200 events annually — Newberg was responsible for defining and overseeing all aspects of brand, consumer, content and digital marketing functions, as well as local partnership activity.

She developed and led a team of more than 50 marketing, PR, creative and sales professionals. During Newberg’s tenure, PBR saw ticket sales revenue increase 43% from 2015-18 while also averaging more than 1 million viewers per broadcast, the release said. After seeing PBR’s United States’ fan base grow 15% from 2011-2017, Newberg was instrumental in 20 PBR events setting attendance records for the sport just 2018, the release continued.

Prior to joining PBR, Newberg spent eight years with Feld Entertainment working in several roles in sales and marketing, most notably as director of Event Marketing and Sales.

For more information on The IRONMAN Group and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Those seeking career opportunities at IRONMAN can visit here.