Gian Gilli becomes the new Managing Director of InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland, the joint venture between the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and the leading Swiss media group Ringier. He will assume his position from 16 November 2015, following the departure of his predecessor Armin Meier in early September. Alongside him, Lukas Troxler, current Director of Marketing & Business Development, will assume the position of Deputy Managing Director.
Track record across all areas of sport
Gian Gilli (57) has an impressive track record across all key areas of the planning, concept development and implementation of major sports events. He has proven his competence in leadership and project management at major events staged in Switzerland, including amongst others, working as Sports Director of the 2003 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in St Moritz and as Secretary General of the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Bern and Kloten.
Significant experiences in the areas of sports education and training (Head Coach for Cross Country, Sports Director and Chef de Mission for Swiss Olympic), within a federation (Head of Pro Sport at Swiss-Ski), as a sports official (Director of the Swiss Olympic Games candidacy in 2022) and as a high performance coach round up his portfolio.
Continued growth
Gian Gilli will lead InfrontRingier until mid-2018 and will drive the business into the next phase of its ambitious growth strategy. Following the launch of the company in 2011, it has become one of the most successful sports marketing organisations in Switzerland and today handles top events such as the Tour de Suisse, the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, the Raiffeisen Super League and various other mandates. In addition, InfrontRingier is responsible for the organisation of the B2RUN Schweizer Firmenlauf series, which is now held across six locations. The aim for InfrontRingier is to continue to implement all existing mandates to the highest quality standards and to further expand the portfolio in the long run.
Alongside his main duty as InfrontRingier Managing Director, Gian Gilli will continue to dedicate 20 per cent of his time to his role as Secretary General of the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland. From July 2018, he will assume a full time role with the Organising Committee and be exclusively dedicated to his role as Secretary General.
“Gian Gilli is well established in the Swiss sports landscape and has an excellent network. We are convinced that with his strong leadership and project management experience he is the right fit to develop InfrontRingier assertively and strengthen its leading position in the market. Together with the dedicated team in place, he will – over the next two and a half years – set the course for the long-term future of the company.” Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier and Chairman of the Board of InfrontRingier
“I thank the board for its trust and will to tackle this new challenge with the highest motivation and with full focus. The success of recent history is a testament to the high level of competency, professionalism and expertise of the InfrontRingier team and I look forward to working together with the staff to tackle the next stage. I am convinced that over the coming years we will continue to carve a significant footprint in the Swiss sports market.” Gian Gilli, designated Managing Director InfrontRingier