Gian Gilli becomes new CEO of Infront Ringier
Starting November 16, Gian Gilli will become the new managing director of Infront Ringier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland, the joint venture between the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and Ringier.
He succeeds Armin Meier, who left the company at the beginning of September (Werbewoche.ch reported). Lukas Troxler, Director Marketing & Business Development, will take over as Deputy Managing Director of Infront Ringier. Gilli, 57, has a track record in all key areas of sports event conception, implementation and planning, according to the company. He has demonstrated his leadership and project management skills at major events in Switzerland - including as sports director of the 2003 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in St. Moritz and as general secretary of the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Bern and Kloten.
Experience in professional sports (head coach cross-country skiing, sports director and head de mission of Swiss Olympic), on the federation side (head of competitive sports at Swiss-Ski), as a sports official (director of Switzerland's 2022 Olympic bid) and as a high-performance coach round off his profile.
Gian Gilli will head Infront Ringier until mid-2018, leading the company into the next phase of its ambitious growth strategy. Founded in 2011, Infront Ringier has become Switzerland's most successful sports marketing company within just a few years and now manages top events such as the Tour de Suisse, the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, the Raiffeisen Super League and various other mandates. In addition, Infront Ringier organizes the B2Run Swiss company run, which now has six locations. The aim is to continue to implement the existing mandates to the highest quality standards and to continue the expansion of the portfolio in the long term.
In parallel to his main job as Infront Ringier Managing Director, Gian Gilli will initially continue his role as Secretary General of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2020 in Switzerland on a 20 percent basis. In July 2018, he will take over this role at 100 percent and will then work exclusively for the organizing committee.
Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier and Chairman of the Board of Directors of InfrontRingier, said: "Gian Gilli is well established in the Swiss sports landscape and has excellent networks. We are convinced that with his strong leadership and project experience he is the right person to decisively develop Infront Ringier further and to consolidate its leading position in the market. Together with the dedicated team, he will set the course for the company's long-term future over the next two and a half years."
Photo: Swiss Olympic
