By Duncan Mackay

Kristina Schaefer has been appointed as the new executive director of partnerships at the Canadian Olympic Committee ©LinkedinThe Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has named as Kristina Schaefer as its new executive director of partnerships and Marc-André Plouffe as executive director of communications.


Schaefer has vast Olympic business leadership experience, having directed and developed multi-faceted marketing programmes and sponsorships around eight Olympic Games, including Salt Lake City 2002, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.

She most recently worked at New York-based Teneo as managing director of the company's sports practice.

Prior to Teneo, Schaefer served more more than 15 years at IMG, including as senior vice-president, global Olympic consulting.

"I am excited and honoured to continue my work with the Olympic Movement by joining the Canadian Olympic Committee," said Schaefer, a graduate of both John Carroll University and  Indiana University. 

"I look forward to serving our athletes and the great partners who help make their journeys to the podium possible."

Plouffe, a graduate of the University of Montreal, started his career as a journalist and editor for CBC/Radio-Canada where he oversaw national and international television news.

He then moved to the Federal Government, first as the press secretary of the Minister of Industry and then as a senior advisor and speechwriter to the Canadian Prime Minister.

"Supporting our athletes is a privilege and I am excited to join the Canadian Olympic Committee," said Plouffe.

"Our athletes and our National Sport Federations are all making us very proud, and I look forward to leading the great work of the communications team in promoting their achievements."

Both Schaefer and Plouffe will report to COC chief marketing officer Derek Kent.

"We are heading into an important period in the COC's growth, so the team is excited to add two seasoned and talented individuals to our partnerships and communications team," said Chris Overholt, chief executive of the COC.

"Kristina and Marc-André have extensive experience in their respective fields which will be of great benefit to our organization."

"Kristina's extensive Olympic business leadership experience and Marc‑André's veteran communications background will be outstanding assets to our partners and our teams.

"We are pleased to be adding such significant talent as we look forward to Toronto 2015 and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

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