April was another big month for sponsorship opportunities with 9,612 marketers and CEOs landing new roles. That means thousands of decision-makers are now rethinking sponsorship strategies, reviewing partnerships, and opening budgets.

‍9,600+ New Global Marketers:

Here are some stand-out appointments you might have missed:

• Deltek: Dan Barnhardt, CMO
• Zoom: Kimberly Storin, CMO
• Starbucks: Michael Kotick, VP of Marketing & Innovation
• DAZN: Adam Knappy, Chief Marketing & Customer Officer
• Wise: Lucas Bergmans, Global Marketing Director
• JABRA: Sandrine Desbarbieux-Lloyd, SVP Global Marketing
• JD.COM: Chris Ferguson, Marketing Director
• Olympus: Nicholas MacMillan, Director of Global Product Marketing
• Merlin Entertainments: Nick Bevan, Marketing Director, UK Theme Parks
• Cleverchefs: Jihane Rodriguez, Marketing Director

First-Time CMOs & Major Promotions – 4,000+ in April:

Meanwhile, 4,006 marketers got promoted into bigger roles—great news if you're looking for sponsorship decisions with fresh eyes:

• Intrepid Travel: Hazel McGuire, CMO
• Specsavers: Victoria Simson-Clarke, Marketing Director – Brand
• PolyAI: Kylie Whitehead, VP of Brand & Marketing
• Diageo: Violeta Andreeva, Marketing & Innovation Director, Global Travel
• Accolade Wines: Tom Smith, Marketing and Category Director
• Sportsman's Warehouse: Susan Sanderson-Briggs, CMO
• Palo Alto Networks: Unnikrishnan Punni, Senior VP of Marketing (Americas)
• Procter & Gamble: Louie Morante, Global Communications Director, Olympic & Paralympic Partnership
• Les Mills (US): Owen Desai, Senior Marketing Lead

CEOs Making Moves:

April also brought over 700 new CEOs, reshaping the direction of their companies—meaning potential shifts in sponsorship priorities:

• Discord: Humam Sakhnini takes the reins, likely pushing deeper into gaming     monetisation.
• Spirit Airlines: Dave Davis moves the airline towards premium branding.
• Entain: Stella David is now leading, with a focus on BetMGM expansion.
• Nestlé  Americas: Jeff Hamilton aims to keep the region growing strong.
• Mr Porter: Toby Bateman returns to boost luxury retailing.
• B&B  Hotels USA: Amir Mustafa focuses on better customer experiences.
• Volvo: Håkan Samuelsson returns to drive technological innovation.
• ABN Amro: Marguerite Berard steps up with profitability firmly in mind.

Sponsorship Buzz:

Brands were busy in April, with 8,056 actively discussing sponsorship, boosted by events like the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Formula 1, and NBA playoff hype. Sustainability is still big too, with 7,795 brands keeping CSR and ESG initiatives front and centre.

Honch tracks these sponsorship opportunities every day, ensuring you're first in line when decision-makers are ready to talk partnerships.

Ready to reach your next major partner? Try Honch today.