The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced the appointment of Ricky Thussu as Global Head of Sales.
Ricky will take up his newly created position in the FIH Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland in October 2017.
Born in Delhi, India, Ricky is relocating from Manchester, England to take up the position of Global Head of Sales where he will be responsible for increasing investment in the sport, predominantly through key FIH events.
Ricky is leaving his role as Director of Business Development for Europe, the Middle-East, Africa and South Asia for sports data company Sportradar. His experience extends much beyond sport and sponsorship however.
With a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature as well as an MBA in Brand Management, he spent three years with the Merchant Navy before beginning his commercial career as an Account Manager for Cheil, the advertising agency for Samsung Electronics.
His career continued in India, taking on the role of Marketing Manager at electronics giant Fujitsu then IBM before relocating to England in 2009 to join one of the world’s biggest football clubs – Manchester United.
He worked there for three years as Associate Relationship Director where his responsibilities included account and strategy management, monetising mobile content and renewal and up-sell for the club’s partners.
From this challenge Ricky launched his own company, SportRicks UK, which focuses on sponsorship sales, activations and strategy and has included clients such as Ferrari F1, Juventus, Octagon and Manchester City FC.
Speaking about Ricky’s appointment, FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “To recruit someone of Ricky’s experience is a hugely significant appointment for the FIH. His market knowledge plus strong relationships with global brands will undoubtedly help us drive the commercial value of our sport as we move towards an important period for hockey.
With some massive events coming up including the Hockey World Cups, Champions Trophies and Hockey Pro League, he will be of great value to the Leadership Team here at FIH.”
Joining Ricky in Switzerland in October is former Vice-President of the DHB (German Hockey Federation) Delf Ness who was confirmed as FIH’s new Marketing and Communications Director earlier this month.”
