5Oceans Partnership, an international investor and advisory firm in sports and entertainment, has appointed Giles Morgan as its Chief Executive Officer.
Morgan joins 5Oceans Partnership from HSBC, where he was Global Head of Sponsorship and Events for more than twelve years.
Acknowledged as an authority on sports sponsorship, Morgan created a global programme at HSBC that spanned over 30 countries, including building one of the world’s biggest international golf portfolios with over 60 tournaments, inaugural sponsor of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, two British Lions tours to South Africa & Australia (2009 & 2013), the recently announced HSBC BWF World Tour (Badminton), and becoming the official banking partner of the Wimbledon tennis championships, a partnership that celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
Founded by Andrew White in 2016, 5Oceans Partnership is an investment and advisory firm delivering commercial partnerships in sports, music and entertainment. White, Executive Chairman of 5Oceans, sold WSM, one of Europe’s most successful sports marketing agencies, to Bill Gates’ Corbis in 2014.
With offices in London, New York, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, 5Oceans works with key investors and marketing platforms in the commercial development of sport, entertainment and education around the world. Current projects include the global partnership with Fujifilm & Taylor Swift and the Laureus Sports Awards with banking group MUFG.
One of 5Oceans’ key relationships is with leAD, the world’s first sports & tech focused incubator fund. Set up by members of the Dassler family (founders of Adidas), leAD supports sports technology startups from seed funding to fully functioning profitable ventures, through professional mentoring, introductions to strategic partners, direct investment and access to follow-up investment. 5Oceans Partnership is a major investor in leAD, and Giles becomes a Director alongside Andrew White – leAD’s Chairman.
Along with Investment and Advisory, Education is the third pillar in 5Oceans’ strategy, and Morgan will lead the Institute of Sports Humanities that will launch the ground-breaking “Leadership in Sport” Masters’ degree at Buckingham University in 2019 – led by Vice Chancellor, writer and educationalist Sir Anthony Seldon and former England cricketer Ed Smith.
“As the worlds of sport, entertainment, digital media and technology continue to converge, this is the most exciting time to be in the industry,” Morgan says. “The global sports sponsorship market is estimated to be worth USD67.2 billion, and 5Oceans is set to be a major player. With our strategic pillars of commercial, technology and education, 5Oceans is perfectly positioned to be a leader in the future of sport. We generate commercial return, drive consumer engagement and – crucially – provide accurate data-driven metrics. The additional strategic elements of education and technology mean we bring unrivalled and holistic expertise to investors, rights-holders, media, brands and start-ups.”
Andrew White, Executive Chairman of 5 Oceans, says: “Giles is a great addition to the 5Oceans Team. As we continue to grow and develop our business and its inter-related investments, we are excited about having him support the growth we have achieved with our global partner network.”
