Alan Pascoe Steps Down From CSM

Alan Pascoe, the former Olympic silver medallist and Vice Chairman of London’s successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Bid, is stepping down from his role as President of sports and entertainment marketing agency CSM.

Pascoe is generally acknowledged across the business as the pioneer of sports marketing in the UK and went on to create two leading agencies APi, then CSM.  He moved into events and consulting after a successful career on the track as a hurdler winning medals in the Olympics in 1972 and the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

He will continue working with the CSM group of companies as a consultant, offering strategic support with his wealth of experience across the sports and events landscape as well as his own high-level contacts in business and Government - but will also work on a couple of his own projects where he still has a passion to make a difference.

In his previous role as Executive Chairman of CSM, Pascoe was instrumental in persuading his long-standing friend and fellow athlete Sebastian Coe, to take over from him at CSM after Seb relinquished his Olympic responsibilities early last year. Sebastian Coe is now Executive Chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment.

Pascoe commented today: “I feel very lucky in many ways to have had the best of both worlds, a successful career as an athlete and then to have used that experience to recognise the value of sport in business and to introduce brands to partner sports events and bring them to life to a wider audience and create some of the most successful events and sponsorships in the business.

“The important part that sport and exercise plays in everyone’s life has never been bigger whether you are a Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah or a Lizzie Yarnold or you are someone who just wants to stay fit and healthy and improve your lifestyle. The success of the Olympics and Paralympics has brought that into sharp focus for the whole of the UK and has already created its own legacy.” 

He added: “The time is perfect for me to step down now and take a bit of a back seat.  I am both very proud and delighted that I am leaving the company in the capable hands of Seb and the talented management team that we have put in place, who can lead by example and drive the business forward, both domestically and globally. I wish them well for the future.” 

 Sebastian Coe said: “Alan is deservedly recognised and revered as a trailblazer in the business of sports marketing. To all intents and purposes he invented it in the UK and many companies have tried to emulate him ever since with various degrees of success. We will certainly all miss him at CSM.”  

Pascoe’s first venture was Alan Pascoe Associates Ltd later named API where he was Managing Director  and Chair 1983 to 1998. Pascoe sold API in 1998, then started, Fast Track  which he has grown into CSM Sport and Entertainment, which is a division of Chime PLC., where he was CEO/Chair of CSM, and then President for the past year, when Seb joined the Company.