Global sports marketing heavyweight IMG has brought in Jackie Stevenson to fill the position of chief client and operations officer that was first unveiled in April.
This appointment comes as the next stage of the business' overall leadership restructure, which first saw Barney Francis become chief business officer three months ago.
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At that point, IMG said it was also creating the chief client and operations officer position, and that an appointment on that front would come soon.
Stevenson will now lead delivery to clients and operations on a global scale, reporting to IMG's president Adam Kelly.
She joins from the M&C Saatchi Group, the international marketing agency, where she had spent almost a year as global chief strategy and innovation officer.
Before that, she spent three years at the US advertising group Interpublic, whose operations became part of Omnicom following a takeover in 2025.
IMG has said she will be responsible for "creating a more connected operating model for clients," and that she will bring together the various services IMG offer – consulting, media rights, brand partnerships, production, digital, data, and event management.
Stevenson has said of her new role: "Sport and entertainment are evolving faster than ever, and clients increasingly need integrated partners who can connect rights, content, technology, data, and commercial expertise. IMG is uniquely positioned to do that at global scale, and I'm excited to help shape the next chapter."
Kelly added: "Jackie brings exceptional experience leading growth and transformation across complex global organisations. She has operated at scale, built and integrated businesses, and understands what it takes to deliver for multi-market partners."
Francis, who previously spent 11 years as managing director at UK pay-TV heavyweight Sky Sports, was previously IMG's executive vice president for studios after joining in October 2021.
He now leads all IMG's commercial functions.
The agency has an extensive overall client list of 250 federations, associations, events, and teams including American football’s NFL, soccer’s English Premier League and MLS, the International Olympic Committee, ice hockey’s NHL, the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tennis tours, the Wimbledon grand slam, Euroleague Basketball, and golf’s DP World Tour, as well as combat sports UFC and WWE.
In terms of recent activity, late June saw the agency become a strategic advisor to Polish soccer's top-tier Ekstraklasa competition, around the sales process for domestic media rights to that league's 2027-31 cycle.
April's restructure, meanwhile, also saw veteran Chris Guinness (who had been IMG's global head of commercial and rights) leave the firm on a full-time basis, as part of the same restructuring process.
