Member Article

Wasserman Accelerates European Growth Plan With Düsseldorf, Germany Office Launch

Wasserman, the global sports, music and marketing agency, has further bolstered the company’s capabilities in Germany and across Europe by opening a full-service marketing office in Düsseldorf. The office will be led by experienced marketing executives Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe, who join Wasserman as Senior Vice Presidents, DACH.

The Düsseldorf office joins Wasserman’s existing Pan European network – a hub of strategic partners and wholly owned offices across the UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Italy and Eastern Europe.

“Having a robust presence in Germany is another milestone in our strategic plan,” said Casey Wasserman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Today’s announcement is the result of over 15 years of investment in Europe, and is part of our ongoing mission as an agency to provide unparalleled resources and expertise to our clients worldwide.”

The opening of a formal office in Germany further strengthens Wasserman’s award-winning European marketing group, which is headquartered in London and serves the company’s existing business in the region. Despite the global pandemic, Wasserman has grown its European business through both organic growth and major acquisitions, most recently acquiring UK football agency Key Sports Management, global hockey agency ACME World Sports, Spanish football agency Top Value and organic hires Patrick Williams and Wolfgang Gesell to head up the German football division. In March 2021, Wasserman notably acquired leading German boxing promoter Team Sauerland and launched Wasserman Boxing, led by Kalle and Nisse Sauerland.

“Germany is a key addition to our purpose-built Pan European network,” said Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, Wasserman Managing Director, EMEA. “The hands-on knowledge of the German market and DACH region that Kai and Sebastian bring, combined with our existing expertise across Europe, will further enhance our ability to provide high-touch service to both our global and regional clients.”

Burkhard and Birwe, who previously co-founded the full-service creative agency Markenloft, are experts in consulting, with a historical revenue focus on the in-market activation of sports, entertainment and lifestyle-focused partnerships, including strategic consulting for brands across the DACH market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Wasserman family and officially launching the Wasserman Düsseldorf office,” said Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe. “We are directly aligned with Wasserman in our principles of putting people and clients first, and we are excited about the value we can mutually bring to each other. Wasserman’s unique combination of encompassing both an unparalleled network of global connections and personalized expertise in specific markets make it a truly full-service agency, and we are looking forward to expanding on our collective work in the DACH market and beyond.” In addition to working with the world’s most iconic brands and properties, Wasserman is the global leader in sports talent representation. Wasserman represents top talent in over 45 different disciplines, including action sports, American football, baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey and the Olympics. The influence across the sporting landscape extends to the DACH region, where Wasserman clients have represented Germany in the Olympics and compete domestically in Bundesliga, Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), German Ladies European Tour (golf) and ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). Wasserman has successfully placed many international clients from the region in the world’s top leagues, such as the Premier League, MLS, NBA, NHL, PGA and WNBA, made possible by agents and staff who live and work in the region to support the agency’s global network. Additionally, in April 2021, Wasserman launched North American music agency Wasserman Music and now represents many of the world’s most significant artists, with a global touring footprint.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alex Sampson .