Organizational Development continues within The IRONMAN Group: Thomas Siebert and Matt Wikstrom promoted to Senior Vice President

January 15, 2021

Marieka Barnard, Peta Bell, Dan Berglund, Joanna Jordan, and Keats McGonigal promoted to Vice President roles

TAMPA, Fla. (January 15, 2021) – The IRONMAN Group is pleased to announce several senior level promotions within the company, including Thomas Siebert to Senior Vice President, Head of Finance – EMEA and Matt Wikstrom to Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships. Additionally, Marieka Barnard, Peta Bell, Dan Berglund, Joanna Jordan, and Keats McGonigal have joined the senior ranks with promotions to Vice President roles. All seven individuals have made significant impact during their tenures with The IRONMAN Group.

“As we look at ways to foster organizational development at The IRONMAN Group, we are delighted to recognize the valued contributions and leadership of Thomas, Matt, Marieka, Peta, Dan, Joanna, and Keats,” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer for The IRONMAN Group. “They have proven to be strong team leaders driving our business forward through their hard work and initiative, especially during the challenges of this past year. Their passion and dedication will continue to make us a better organization and we look forward to the continued impact they will have in their new senior leadership roles.”

Thomas Siebert has been promoted to Sr. Vice President, Head of Finance – EMEA. Thomas joined The IRONMAN Group in 2012 coming from Ernst & Young. During his first years with IRONMAN, Thomas played an important role in the reorganization of the EMEA business to align all processes within the finance department across all countries and subregions. In parallel, the EMEA region grew rapidly through acquisitions which were supported and, in many cases, also driven by Thomas. Most recently, Thomas has engaged in acquisitions on a global level while building a strong finance team to support 73 events across 29 countries and 19 offices in the EMEA region. Partnering with the Global Executive Team, Thomas will be a key contributor for The IRONMAN Group growth as the leader of the global Mergers & Acquisitions team moving forward.

Matt Wikstrom has been promoted to Sr. Vice President, Global Partnerships. Matt joined The IRONMAN Group in November 2019 with a strong sales pedigree and understanding of the endurance sports industry. He has quickly adjusted to his new role and delivered significant partnerships in a very challenging environment. He has led multiple new partnership negotiations that will soon be announced for both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and IRONMAN triathlon series. Matt has successfully provided leadership to regional sales executives globally and ensured proper coordination of opportunities with the merchandising, licensing, and digital functions. Matt plays a key role in ensuring the promotion of the Company’s various series and emphasis on platform partnerships.

Marieka Barnard has been promoted to Vice President, Marketing – EMEA. Marieka first embarked on her career with The IRONMAN Group, volunteering in South Africa as a media director in 2007 before joining the Company full-time as a marketing coordinator in 2011. Through her commitment to excellence, tireless effort, and exceptional work ethic, she advanced to her most recent role as Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA, where she has been instrumental in the region’s growth and performance. As the EMEA portfolio continues to expand with acquisitions and diversification, Marieka’s leadership and innovative-minded approach will position the business for success.

Peta Bell has been promoted to Vice President, Global Marketing. Peta joined The IRONMAN Group as Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA in June of 2017 through the CGI acquisition where she had played an essential marketing role from 2014. Having been instrumental in setting the region’s foundation for success and growth, she took on a newly created Global Marketing role in March of 2019. Since then, she has led all aspects of the Company’s loyalty programs, brand and athlete engagement programs, as well as the implementation of registered athlete communications, development of event marketing playbooks, and advancement of brand positioning.

Dan Berglund has been promoted to Vice President, Global Communications. Dan joined The IRONMAN Group as a public relations specialist in October 2012 from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dan has been a critical contributor to the organization, including managing all aspects of corporate communications during the tumultuous year that 2020 has been. His leadership and advancement of the public relations and communications function has had significant impact on the Company’s earned media efforts and global media coverage.

Joanna Jordan has been promoted to Vice President, Operations and Managing Director – Latin America. Joanna joined The IRONMAN Group in 2005 as an intern and has a long and varied career in the Company’s Operations division. After being hired full-time in 2006, Joanna progressed through the ranks of the North America operations team filling a variety of senior roles, including Operations Manager, Race Director and Operations Director. After a short stint outside the organization, Joanna rejoined The IRONMAN Group as a Global Operations Director before being promoted as the first Managing Director of the Latin America region in 2016. During her tenure as Managing Director-Latin America, Joanna has implemented global operating standards and procedures for the region, built strong and healthy relationships with licensees, and grew the business into a number of new countries (Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador to name a few). Joanna is a highly respected global operator for the Company and has worked on events in all corners of the globe for The IRONMAN Group.

Keats McGonigal has been promoted to Vice President, Operations – North America. Keats joined the IRONMAN North America team in 2008 as an intern for IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene. Since becoming a full-time employee for The IRONMAN Group in 2010, Keats has steadily progressed, taking on additional responsibilities and more complex and diverse leadership roles for the North America Region. From Race Director to Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Keats most recently worked as Senior Director of Operations, where he oversaw all events in the North America Region. Keats’s leadership skills, attention to detail, and technical ability related to race operations have been a clear asset to The IRONMAN Group. As Vice President of Operations for North America he will continue to be responsible for Operations of all events in the North American portfolio.

For more information on The IRONMAN Group and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

Those seeking career opportunities at The IRONMAN Group can visit here.

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About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^®70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^®, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.