IRONMAN names Matthieu Van Veen as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Holdings Company, announced today that Matthieu Van Veen has been named to the newly created position of Chief Revenue Officer for IRONMAN. Van Veen will begin his new role with the company on March 13, 2017.

In the new position, Van Veen will be responsible on a global basis for sales, marketing, media and digital activities. His focus will be to create a more structured approach to driving the commercial side of the business.

“As IRONMAN has continued to grow, we have become a more complex organization; one that is operating in more industry segments and in more territories. The structured leveraging of IRONMAN’s vast capabilities and the capturing of best practices is vital for our future success,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN. “Matthieu’s exemplary international career and personal characteristics give me confidence that he will be successful in this new role.”

Van Veen brings broad skills and experiences to the position. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the global sports industry and joins IRONMAN after nine years with AEG Europe, where he was most recently Senior Vice President of Sports, based in Paris. During that time, Van Veen was responsible for the European leadership and management of AEG’s Sports Divisions which included the creation and management of a portfolio of sports properties for AEG’s European venues; AEG owned teams, Berlin Eisbären of the DEL and Hammarby Fotbol of the Swedish Allsvenskan; development of the partnership between AEG and the Amaury Sports Organization for the Amgen Tour of California; and overall leadership of AEG’s business in France. He was also pivotal in developing the partnership with the City of Paris in the management of the newly renovated AccorHotels Arena, formerly known as Bercy Arena.

Prior to joining AEG, Van Veen served as the National Basketball Association’s Senior Director, Global Media Distribution for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In his role as head of the NBA’s media business, Van Veen was responsible for all television and digital media rights for the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. He has worked extensively in all Western European countries, as well as Russia and Turkey.

Nutrition Scientist Asker Jeukendrup launches FuelTheCore.com

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IRONMAN (World Triathlon Corporation) Partners with the International Triathlon Union (ITU)

According to a press release "two of the most influential forces in triathlon make history with an agreement to further develop the sport.

Marisol Casado (ITU) and Andrew Messick (WTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) . Phpto: WTC/ITU

IRONMAN and the International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced that they have agreed to a historic cooperation framework to further develop and grow triathlon. After a week of meetings at IRONMAN headquarters in Tampa, Florida, senior leaders from both organizations, including ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado and IRONMAN President and CEO Andrew Messick, agreed on a historic growth framework that is the culmination of several years of work together.  

Two teams of senior leaders of International Triathlon Union (ITU) and World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) worked a week onlocation for final drafts of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between both big players in triathlon. Photo: WTC/ITU 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by both parties citing key priorities and next steps to ensure the growth and harmonization of the sport. In particular, the MOU focused on standardized rules, further collaboration on anti-doping efforts, national federation relations, sanctioning, a single-set of rules, and collaborative marketing initiatives to grow the sport at the age-group level.

"Our collaboration with the ITU is of considerable importance for the prolonged and continuous growth of triathlon," said Messick. "We share a common goal, have worked well together in recent years, and have developed trust in the ITU leadership group. I believe that the productive conversations that led to this milestone are pivotal for the continued progression of triathlon."

"The best way to grow triathlon, and improve the sport at all levels, is to do so together," said Casado. "Continuing strong collaboration with IRONMAN will serve to further evolve triathlon across the world. I look forward to many more fruitful meetings, and creating the best possible environments for athletes, following this cornerstone moment."

Among the key priorities the ITU and IRONMAN have agreed to, are the following:

• Harmonizing anti-doping efforts to continue to protect clean athletes and the integrity of the sport
• Working towards ITU being recognized as the singular international federation leading the sport of triathlon
• The ITU sanctioning select IRONMAN events as international events
• The ITU leading coordination and communication with its member National Federations to implement standardized rules and reinforce the ITU's "Clean, Fair & Safe" mandate
• IRONMAN will leverage ITU resources in certain ethics-related matters, including technological fraud, code of conduct, manipulating of sport competition, etc.
• Working toward a single set of rules (ITU Competition Rules) for long-distance triathlon beginning in 2018
• Developing an athlete-focused edition of those rules with specific distance categories
• Alignment of efforts to foster the growth and development of the sport specifically focused on safety, first-time athletes, development of women in the sport, and education
• For more information on the ITU, visit www.triathlon.org
• For more information on the IRONMAN® brand and global event series, visit Ironman.com.