Global, a media and entertainment company, has recruited a former Live Nation executive to join its new team dedicated to developing festival campaigns.
Following Global’s aggressive UK festival acquisition run, Debbie Ward has been appointed to the role of commercial director, joining seven other team members that will develop strategic campaigns for brands across its growing range of events, the Music Business Worldwide website reports.
After recently acquiring majority stakes in Victorious Festival and Hideout Festival, Global now has a portfolio of 17 festivals in the UK, Europe and Canada.
Last October, the media company also acquired UK events South West Four, Field Day, Boardmasters, Rewind and Y Not and Truck.
Ward has more than 20 years’ experience in music and media and joined Live Nation in 2015 as vice president of marketing partnerships, after the firm bought MAMA, where Ward spent seven years as head of brand partnerships.
Ward said: “We (Global) are perfectly placed to deliver some of the world’s most exciting campaigns for brands and I’m looking forward to working with new clients to build some memorable experiences at our festivals.”
While at MAMA, Ward worked on Lovebox and Wilderness, developing creative solutions for brands such as Mulberry, Laurent Perrier, Corona, Jack Daniels and HTC.
Global’s chief commercial officer Mike Gordon said: “In just 12 months, Global has become the second biggest player in the UK festivals market, which is why we needed to find the best commercial talent to support our investment in this sector.
“I’m delighted that Debbie has joined Global given her very impressive industry credentials, having created some of the most talked about festival partnerships.
“With an enviable portfolio of festivals, access to Global’s talent management and events expertise and of course an audience of 30 million people every week through our media brands, our festival offering is truly unique.”