GMR Marketing the New Berlin-based global sponsorship company, is expanding with an office in Tokyo, Japan.
The company has hired Satoshi Saito as director of sponsorship planning and activation with an emphasis on Olympic sponsorship for the 2020 Games held in Tokyo and the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Satoshi has strong ties to local partners and vendors and has immense experience in Japanese sports said Cameron Parsons, CEO of GMR Marketing.
“With experience spanning 14 Olympic Games, we understand that the best way to navigate the complex marketplace and logistics at an event of this magnitude is to augment our global knowledge with local expertise,” Parsons said. “Expanding our footprint in-market by hiring the top local experts delivers great value to our clients.”
Previously, Saito was the deputy director for the Office of Special Mission at the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body of soccer in Japan. There, he was responsible for Japan’s international match operations in the Competitions Department as well as the JFA Youth & Development Program.
During that time, he was also appointed as a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) marketing consultant to support Asian soccer nations.
“We understand the transformative environmental, social and economic impact that Tokyo 2020 and sport can have on Japan,” Parsons said. “So we sought an individual with the highest level of proven experience in Japanese sport—someone who understands the local market and its global context. Satoshi’s expertise is exemplary on all counts.”
Founded in 1979, GMR has grown to have 19 offices in 10 countries. The company employs about 1,000 people worldwide and has 500 employees in New Berlin.
GMR is part of Omnicom Group Inc., a New York City-global marketing and corporate communications holding company.
