Richard Denton Profile

Richard Denton has worked in the sport and marketing business for 30 years with brands, agencies and rights holders. With a BA Humanities degree in Sport, Leisure Recreation Management and Environmental Studies awarded by Manchester University, Richard completed his higher education at Teesside Business School with a Diploma in Management Studies. First employment followed in Brussels as a Research Editor with Sports Marketing Surveys in 1989. After two years Richard transferred from agency to client side.

As Manager of Sponsoring and Public Relations for Canon Europa, Richard ran a sport marketing program including UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, Canon Williams F1 Team, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the Ryder Cup, PGA European Tour golf, Figure Skating, Natal Sharks Rugby and European Athletics across 35 markets in the EMEA region.

Richard joined IMG Consulting Europe in 1999 where he became the interface for Philips Global Brand Management and a team of experts at IMG activating sport marketing programs in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The main focus included football partnerships and the creation of a global youth marketing program to reposition the Philips brand with a younger target market.

In 2004, a partnership with advertising agency 180 Amsterdam led to the launch of bigdaddy, a strategic sports consultancy to advise brands and rights holders how to create market-led partnerships, monetize assets and generate new revenue streams. Clients included ABN Amro, The Football Association, Omega watches, the Dutch Premier League, Van Gogh Museum, Samsung Benelux, Mojo/Live Nation and Dutch National Ballet.

As Managing Director at Trefpunt Sports and Entertainment, Richard led a team of 20 professionals creating and delivering sports entertainment and marketing programs for leading Dutch brands. Key clients included Rabobank, Delta Lloyd, Essent, Heineken, Volkswagen, Unilever, Accenture and Tata Consultancy Services. Projects included marketing partnerships with the Dutch National Football Team, Holland Heineken House at the Olympic Games, Tour de France, Amsterdam and Berlin Marathons.

Richard started sharing his knowledge and experience of sport, marketing and management as a lecturer with the Johan Cruyff Institute for Sport Studies in 2012. The primary focus was the Master in Sport Management and Master in Amsterdam and Football Business Management in Barcelona. Since 1^st July 2019 Richard holds the title of Academic Director for the Master in Sport Management on campus in Amsterdam.

Since October 2015 Richard works as an independent Consultant advising brands, rights holders and start-up ventures on marketing strategy, business development, sports media and entertainment partnerships. During this time Richard was hired by Vitesse Arnhem football club, the Dutch Speed Skating Federation, the Organizing Connection, Blauw Research, SportsGen sport marketing and events, Pure Consulting, Bitz Network, Jobs in Football and various business schools.

Working with leaders in sport such as Mark McCormack (Founder of IMG) and Johan Cruyff (legendary footballer and founder of the Cruyff Institute) inspired Richard to partner with organisations who leave a legacy for the next generation of players, fans and communities.

Richard writes a blog by the name of ‘Chapter 14’ reflecting on some of the latest developments in sport, marketing and management. He is also an avid golfer (handicap 10) and runs regularly to keep fit as well as attending as much live sport as possible. The rest he follows through the media!