Lewis Wiltshire, former Twitter head of sport and BBC Sport editor, has been appointed as the new CEO of Mailman EMEA and Seven League, Europe’s leading digital sports agency & consultancy and part of the global Mailman Group.
Richard Ayers, founder and current CEO of Seven League, will remain with the organisation as Chairman.
Mailman, Asia’s leading sports digital agency, added London-based Seven League to its Group in 2018, expanded into Southeast Asia in 2019 with a Singapore office and presence in nine SEA regions, and earlier in 2020 opened its first North American office as part of a global expansion and mission to become the world’s leading digital sports agency & consultancy.
Wiltshire will oversee Seven League’s highly-respected consultancy arm, which provides strategic guidance for the likes of FIFA, UEFA, FC Barcelona, Juventus and Green Bay Packers, and also its burgeoning agency business, which includes clients NBA, NHL, NFL, FIFA, Minnesota Vikings and others.
Seven League’s agency business will increasingly utilise the global strength of the Mailman agency, which unlocks Asia audiences for the likes of the NBA, FIFA, Chelsea, NHL, UFC, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, NFL, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham. Across these clients, Mailman delivers tailored social and digital programs that drive consumption and commercial success.
EMEA CEO Lewis Wiltshire said: “I am honoured and excited to be asked to lead the new era for Mailman EMEA and Seven League. The three-and-a-half years I’ve spent at Seven League, including the last two as part of the Mailman Group, have proven to me beyond doubt that our business is a leader in the global sports industry. However there is much still to do to realise our fullest potential and ambitions and I cannot wait to begin that next chapter. Richard and Neal should be very proud of what they have built at Seven League and I am delighted that both will be remaining with the business. I’m excited now to also work more closely with Andrew as we scale the Mailman brand globally.”
Wiltshire will report directly to Mailman Group CEO Andrew Collins, who acquired Mailman, then a media consulting company, in 2007 and has since developed a global digital powerhouse, working exclusively at the intersection of sports and digital. In 2016, the group raised $25M from Chinese investors Yao Capital, Kaixin Capital, and WeCapital. It’s since expanded internationally and across ecommerce, production and media rights. Mailman’s mission is to unlock audiences and revenue for its clients, globally.
Mailman Group CEO Andrew Collins said: “Since joining the group 3 years ago, Lewis has made a huge impact to our group culture, the team and quality of work. He has direct platform experience, a high awareness of digital behaviours and a real passion to make positive change in the industry. We’re thrilled to move forward with Lewis as CEO, we’re inspired by his commitment to drive growth in the people and exploring new ventures as we expand our global vision.”
In Europe, Seven League’s consultancy business will help sports rightsholders understand their current level of digital performance, how they can grow, which markets and audiences to invest in, and how to build return on investment from their digital.
Mailman’s agency business implements those strategies – carrying out content marketing for clients which builds commercially viable audiences in key markets. Seven League/Mailman has a presence in 10 European markets, delivering on-the-ground digital activations for its clients, while Mailman is active across nine markets across Asia, with the Los Angeles presence a recent addition in 2020.
The founder of Seven League and its previous CEO, Richard Ayers, will move into a new role as Chairman with current Seven League Managing Director, Neal McCleave, now the COO.
Richard Ayers, digital and media veteran who founded Seven league in 2012 being inspired by the London Olympics, said: “I’ve been CEO for 8 fantastic years and we’ve achieved so much but the chance to move into a Chairman role and make way for hugely talented Lewis to step up is perfect. I can’t think of anyone better to hand the baton to and yet I still get to do the work I love. What we’ve achieved so far in Seven League and Mailman has been the greatest professional achievement of my life to date … and I’ve got the tattoo to prove it. Literally. Sports big and small trust us to deliver and I cannot thank them enough for their faith. We’ve helped sport and we’ve made a difference… and we’re going to go from strength to strength as the Mailman Group [Europe].”
