MP & Silva Appoints Chris Lencheski to Lead Global Sponsorship Division

A senior advisor to the Group and Board of MP & Silva since 2015, Chris Lencheski has been appointed to lead the global sponsorship division of MP & Silva, a full service global sports marketing agency.

MP & Silva’s current sponsorship portfolio is heavily anchored in premium US properties, including the representation of Monumental Sports and Entertainment’s full suite of assets, the New York Red Bulls Arena naming rights, and the Miami Heat jersey patch. Chris Lencheski will be based in New York and manage the company’s global sponsorship team across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

“MP & Silva is rapidly expanding beyond its historic expertise in media rights into a full-service sports marketing agency,” says Jochen Lösch, CEO of MP & Silva. “Chris will drive growth in this strategically important area of the company.”

“MP & Silva has invested significantly in expanding our presence in the US market,” says Frank Uddo, MP & Silva’s President, North America. “Chris is an extremely well respected professional and having him further demonstrates our commitment to this vital sports market. His experience will intensify our ability to support our partners’ strategic goals and build on the success we have already achieved.”

“I am pleased to join MP & Silva at this exciting time in the company’s growth and transformation,” says Lencheski. “Having been involved with some of the company’s high-level deals as an advisor, I look forward to continuing my close relationship with the entire team, and the opportunity to help build upon and drive the future growth of MP & Silva’s commercial rights and sponsorship business silo in the US and globally.”

With more than 20 years of professional experience, Chris Lencheski has authored industry standards and practice guidelines followed by entities from network and cable television groups to Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, Lencheski served as Vice Chairman and CEO of IRG Sports + Entertainment – A TPG Specialty Lending Company, encompassing more than 1,150 motorsports, live entertainment and corporate events annually at their venues and within their global racing series.

Lencheski was retained to author and execute the corporate renewal of IRG Sports + Entertainment and under his leadership, IRG Sports + Entertainment expanded into Australia, acquired content from NASCAR to Red Bull Global Rally Cross and orchestrated the return of IRG motorsports sanctioning bodies after a 19-year absence to global television and the development of a digital platform with the ESPN family of networks.

Prior to IRGSE, Lencheski was President of Comcast-Spectators’ subsidiary Front Row Marketing and Analytics (FRMS) – FRMS was the commercial rights, sponsorship and analytics firm inside the greater Comcast ecosystem of stadiums, arenas, teams and properties. FRMS was acquired by Learfield Sports in 2015.

His work also included collaborations with the Americas’ Cup, English Premier League, the Olympics, Formula One and World Cup projects as well as a host of international and national properties from every major league to governing bodies. He was a multiple team owner in the NASCAR Sprint and Nationwide Series, as well as owner of International Hockey League franchise; the Quad City Mallards – The IHL Affiliate of the NHL Philadelphia Flyers.

Lencheski is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he is a three-term board member of the Falk College of Sports and Human Dynamics.  He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and will continue as an adjunct professor at Columbia University.