Home » Former Western Bulldogs CEO Simon Garlick Joins Sports Marketer Bastion EBA

2 December, 2015

Former Western Bulldogs CEO Simon Garlick Joins Sports Marketer Bastion EBA

Sport sponsorship and activation firm, Bastion EBA,has announced the appointment of Simon Garlick to general manager based in Melbourne.

Garlick joins Bastion EBA, the firm that brokers $30M worth of deals for brands and organisations annually, after five years as CEO of the Western Bulldogs.

Widely perceived as the man who laid the foundation for the Western Bulldogs current success, Garlick lead the Club through a period of achieving consistent profits, reduction of debt, stabilised membership levels and increased investment in its football department while overseeing an on field rebuild during an unprecedented period of compromised drafts. Garlick also lead a subcommittee that appointed current coach, Luke Beveridge, the AFL Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2015.

Amongst a raft of achievements during Garlick’s tenure, the Bulldogs implemented a complete re-branding of the Club, renewed Mission Foods as the club’s longest-serving sponsor in its history reintroduced Footscray into the VFL, winning the 2014 premiership; and initiated a partnership with the City of Ballarat and Victorian Government to develop Eureka Stadium for AFL content.

Recruiting Garlick’s impressive leadership skills, proven commercial understanding and significant experience in sales and marketing made strategic sense to Bastion EBA, which recently expanded to the UK, and has its sights on international expansion in 2017.

Bastion EBA Managing Director, Jack Watts said, “Simon brings incredible experience, a track record of successful sponsorship partnerships and understands the nuances of large deals and how they impact clubs and organisations at a grass roots level. The Bastion EBA model operates on partnerships that provide clear return on investment for both parties and Simon’s expertise and impressive track record puts us in strong stead to capitalise on domestic and international opportunities.”

Speaking of his appointment, Garlick is looking to grow the business by adding commercial value to both the brands and the wider Collective. “The Bastion EBA team are changing the landscape of sponsorship with strategic sponsorship deals that focus on delivering value to all parties. There are huge opportunities for brands and organisations to deliver commercial outcomes to codes, sponsors and grass roots clubs through Bastion EBA’s work. For brands it is just a matter of identifying these segments correctly and having the strategy in place to leverage all opportunities.”

On the Collective’s international expansion to the UK, Garlick says the Bastion EBA model is ripe for disrupting the international market. “The opportunities for Australian brands to grow their presence overseas and engage new audiences through events are enormous. I am looking forward to growing the business which has its sights on a global offering in the next two years.”

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