[Source: ESA] Antony Douglass (Specsavers), James Goode (IMG), Heli Kemppainen (Neste) and Martin Prendergast (Martin Prendergast Communications) were elected by their fellow ESA Members, while existing Board Director Stuart Wareman (Accor) was re-elected. 

The election of Heli Kemppainen as a second representative from Finland on the ESA Board increases the female contingent to six, including ESA General Manager Karen Fan. Martin Prendergast and James Goode strengthen arts & culture representation on the Board and Antony Douglass provides legal expertise following the retirement of Bob Mitchell (Harbottle & Lewis). 

Besides the elections, ESA also presented information to members from all existing workstreams and the new Sustainability Working Group, as well as information about the not-for-profit association’s performance. 

ESA Chairman Andy Westlake said: “I’m extremely proud of how our community continues to adapt to challenging international conditions to keep the sponsorship industry buoyant, and yesterday’s AGM gave us the chance to reflect on this success. 

“I’m delighted to welcome Anthony, James, Heli and Martin to the Board of Directors and it’s wonderful to see Stuart continue his tenure. We look forward to working with all five of them and it’s super that we have such a representative Board as we seek to deliver on our mission to inspire, unite and grow a welcoming and diverse sponsorship industry. 

“As we continue to bring new members into our international community we will remain focused on giving members the best possible value and a rewarding experience in all aspects of their engagement with ESA. 

“The only regrettable aspect of the ESA 2023 AGM was saying a formal goodbye to those Board Directors who have stepped down, and I thank William Fenton and Bob Mitchell for their terrific contribution.” 

Visit the Leadership page of the ESA website to see the new Board in full.