The Ospreys are excited to announce the appointment of Anthony Cole-Johnson as the new Commercial Director of the regional rugby franchise.
The appointment by new Ospreys CEO, Nick Garcia, is the latest step on its exciting journey and pledge to become a global rugby brand with best-in-class sports governance. .
Cole-Johnson’s role at the Ospreys will be to ensure our commercial partners and supporters are more integral to our journey than ever before.
He will join the Ospreys on January 18, with a place on the Senior Management Team with a remit across all commercial pillars.
Cole-Johnson arrives with a wealth of experience from Premier League football at Southampton FC, where he was responsible for delivering several successes, including a major multi-million-pound five-year kit sponsorship deal and increased crowd attendances.
During his successful four years in Premier League football he developed and delivered key strategies to evolve the club's commercial performance across retail, ticketing, memberships, C&E, partnerships, and a national award-winning hospitality lounge experience.
He brings a reputation of forging close and real partnerships with the business and commercial community with an ability to deliver and secure long-term sustainable growth.
His experience includes having worked with global brands, inside and outside of professional sport, including Deloitte, L’Oreal, Coca Cola and Sky TV.
Anthony Cole-Johnson, Ospreys Commercial Director, said:
“After conversations with Nick Garcia and the Y11 Group, it was clear that the opportunity to work at Ospreys was both incredibly exciting but also unique.
“The Ospreys have an enviable record of success amongst its peers, and has real ambitions to grow both within the region and into new markets and this was the right moment to join the business.
“I am excited to find ways of bringing more supporters back into the Swansea.com stadium to be part of our journey, but also grow our international reach for both the men’s and women’s teams in the future.
“I am also looking forward to working closely with the Ospreys fantastic suite of partners and helping meet their objectives both this season and as we move forward together.”
Nick Garcia, Ospreys Chief Executive, said:
"Sustainable success is only possible with a strong commercial offering and an ability to demonstrate value. The way supporters engage with sport and how commercial partners are integrated has changed dramatically in the last decade.
We believe this is a growth area for Rugby and Anthony’s attitude, experience and drive make him the perfect candidate to take Ospreys to the next level. We are excited about what can be achieved by working with our partners and supporters under Anthony’s leadership."
