It was announced today that Lars Sternmarker, currently Managing Director of IMG Scandinavia, will take on additional responsibility for driving IMG’s new strategy for Russia, the CIS and Baltic States, as part of the company’s global restructuring process.

He will become Senior Vice-President, IMG and Regional Managing Director of IMG Scandinavia, Russia, the CIS and Baltic States, while Martin Englund steps up to become Senior Vice-President, IMG and Managing Director of IMG Scandinavia, with day-to-day management responsibility for the Scandinavian operation based in Stockholm.

Lars will continue to be based in IMG’s Stockholm office, overseeing the Scandinavian operation, but will now direct the majority of his attention to business development and sales activity throughout the region, and to developing IMG’s output in Russia, the CIS and Baltic States. In so doing, he will continue to work with IMG’s existing partners in Russia – Komanda – in the persons of Vladimir and Sasha Vainshtein and Denis Poliakov.

Andrew Hampel, Managing Director of IMG Europe, Africa and Middle East, said: ‘We have identified Russia as being a market place with significant potential and are making these changes in order to put IMG in the best position to assist our clients and business partners in exploiting that potential.’

Lars’ and Martin’s new roles take effect immediately.

Lars Sternmarker said: ‘I am looking forward to this new challenge tremendously, which comes at a very exciting time for IMG. I am extremely proud of all that we have achieved in Scandinavia since I started here in 1988, where we are already very active, representing and doing business with several of the major federations and governing bodies in soccer, ice hockey, handball, ice-skating, golf and tennis as well as the Nobel Foundation and Nobel Institute. Our Client Division manages over 150 athletes across the major sports, and our Television and New Media distribution and production Division, TWI and TWIi, are the leading force in their fields. I am looking forward to helping Martin continue to build on that successful base.

‘In addition, we have also identified considerable new opportunities in Russia and neighbouring countries. We already conduct significant business in golf, television rights sales and sponsorship there but, together with Komanda and our Global Business Units, we are now intent on developing these activities as well as our Consulting, Fashion, Academies and Licensing operations, We will also be taking some of the major properties and events that we represent into Russia for the first time. ‘

For more details contact: Madeleine Pallas, PR Manager for European Operations, IMG, + 44 (0) 7973 326 422 / mpallas@imgworld.com

Madeleine Pallas
PR Manager for European Operations
IMG/TWI
tel: +44 (0) 20 8233 7425
fax: +44 (0) 20 8233 5301
mob: +44 (0) 7973 326 422
mpallas@imgworld.com