Ken Crease and Rob Garea have become the latest Boxing Marketing Arm appointments ©AIBA

Ken Crease has been appointed director of sales sponsorship and marketing, while Rob Garea has become the director of operations for the Boxing Marketing Arm (BMA) of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), it has been announced.

Crease, who has 16 years of experience in sports and entertainment marketing, will be charged with developing the sponsorship and marketing rights for AIBA’s boxing programmes.

He joins the organisation from GroupM, one of the largest media investment companies in the world, where he was head of entertainment and sports partnerships, Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States

“Boxing enjoys a unique position in sport, in terms of its heritage and global appeal,” Crease said.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the existing team to position the sport as an attractive platform for commercial partners.”

Garea, meanwhile, is vastly experienced as a financial professional and he has worked for a variety of international companies, such as Citibank, eBay and Biogen & Covidien.

The 40-year-old has been involved in many different areas of the financial sector, including costing, audit, general financing and manufacturing.

“I am excited to join BMA and being part of its journey early on is so motivating,” he said.

“I am looking forward to add value helping create the right finance framework and giving meaningful business support to the company in order to help it grow and succeed.”

It is hoped both Ken Crease and Rob Carea can help develop the strength of AIBA's boxing programmes
It is hoped both Ken Crease and Rob Carea can help develop the strength of AIBA's boxing programmes ©Getty Images

The two appointments were also hailed by BMA chief executive David Gough, who says the pair “understand the vision" of the organisation.

“BMA has a unique opportunity to change the way boxing is presented to fans around the world,” he said.

“Ken and Rob not only had impressive credentials as professionals, but they understand the vision and realise the potential for the future.

“Ken will be looking for commercial partners to participate in the unique opportunity of shaping the sport of boxing for tomorrow.

“While Rob will provide the leadership in developing a transparent financial system to manage the business as effectively and efficiently as possible.”



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