At Honch, we don’t just track who’s moving. We study what they’re walking into.

Every week, our team analyses thousands of new marketing appointments worldwide to understand what’s likely to come up for review.

Here are five leadership moves from the 2,300+ we've tracked this week that could reshape global sponsorship strategy and open new conversations.

🧠 OutSystems - Kris Lande, Chief Marketing Officer

OutSystems’ appointment of Kris Lande marks a major moment. The company sits at the intersection of enterprise software and AI, but its marketing to date has been product-first and community-driven.

Lande, joining alongside new CEO Woodson Martin (ex-Salesforce), will likely bring sharper narrative control and greater visibility. OutSystems’ challenge is scale and recognition: it’s a billion-dollar platform without mainstream awareness. Expect a shift toward high-impact partnerships with innovation conferences, AI forums, and enterprise tech events that elevate its position in the AI ecosystem.

This move isn’t about mass consumer reach. It’s about trust, authority, and staking leadership in enterprise AI. Under Lande, OutSystems’ story will get louder, clearer, and more human.

🔒 BlackBerry - Shannon Hamilton, VP Global Sales & Marketing

BlackBerry has spent nearly a decade redefining itself from mobile pioneer to cybersecurity heavyweight. With Shannon Hamilton now leading global marketing, the focus turns to regaining relevance and trust in a crowded sector.

The company’s communications already centre on credibility and security. Under Hamilton, expect deeper alignment with cybersecurity education and resilience partnerships, potentially supporting initiatives around digital trust, AI ethics, or enterprise safety.

BlackBerry isn’t going to appear on stadium boards. Its sponsorship future lies in collaboration with institutions, conferences, and research bodies that reinforce its authority in digital protection.

🏦 First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) – Shreya Dutt, SVP & Head of Personal Bank Marketing

Shreya Dutt’s arrival at FAB adds energy to a bank already rich in sponsorship heritage. From UAE Team Emirates cycling and Al Ain Football Club to Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Special Olympics, FAB has long understood the power of sport to project national and corporate pride.

The opportunity now is integration. As the bank digitises and expands internationally, Dutt’s challenge is to turn sponsorship from community presence into customer engagement - linking it to loyalty, data, and digital storytelling.

FAB’s sponsorships already command visibility across the Gulf. Under Dutt, expect them to become more targeted, tech-led, and measurable - less about logo exposure, more about long-term brand equity.

📊 S&P Global - Virginia Ford-Young, Chief Marketing Officer

For S&P Global, the appointment of Virginia Ford-Young signals an inflection in how the company communicates. Historically, its brand has been quiet - authoritative, data-first, and emotionally neutral. With new leadership and major acquisitions such as With Intelligence, expect a modernisation of its external narrative.

S&P’s sponsorship footprint has been philanthropic - Girls Who Code and Conservation International - but Ford-Young has an opportunity to broaden that into sustainability and innovation platforms aligned with its ESG positioning.

Rather than sports, expect visibility through global summits, finance forums, and think tanks that connect S&P’s expertise to progress. This move is about turning the brand’s intellectual authority into cultural relevance.

⚡ Monster Energy - Kean Yew Lim, VP of Marketing, Asia

Monster Energy is already one of the most sponsorship-heavy brands on the planet. The arrival of Kean Yew Lim to lead marketing in Asia signals regional expansion and localisation.

Monster’s partnerships stretch from UFC and MotoGP to McLaren F1, West Ham United, and global esports powerhouse Gen.G. The task now is translating that adrenaline-charged lifestyle into Asian markets with cultural precision.

Lim will likely push for collaborations across gaming, fashion, and youth culture - building regional identity without diluting Monster’s edge. The energy drink giant isn’t slowing down; it’s just getting smarter about where it roar

Other major moves have taken place at brands including Russell Stover Chocolates, Schneider Electric, L’Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Limited, The Walt Disney Company, Salesforce, Kyndryl UK Limited, IBM, Hilton, Nippo and Henkel.

Why it matters

The sponsorship world moves fast, and so do the people shaping it.
Every new leader brings fresh priorities and partnerships that will be reviewed, renewed, or replaced.

At Honch, we’re building the most complete picture of those changes - tracking thousands of senior marketing moves each week, from global brands to UK-based decision-makers shaping the partnerships you see every day.

If you work in sponsorship, this is your early warning system - who’s moving, what’s shifting, and where the next opportunity’s about to open.