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Gareth Roberts, Head of Sponsorship and Media Relations, Carlsberg
Gareth Roberts started his career in the drinks industry with Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd in Chelmsford. From there he followed a sales route, working as the legendary ‘Man from the Pru’ at Prudential and in other sales positions within the finance sector.
In 1989, Gareth returned to the drinks industry, becoming a sales representative with Allied Breweries’ regional arm Ind Coope Sales. Eight years later the opportunity arose to move into customer marketing and relocate to the company’s Northampton headquarters. The company had became known as Carlsberg-Tetley in 1992 when Carlsberg took a 50% share of it. In 1997, having gained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing and Retail Management, Gareth was ideally qualified for a sponsorship management position
My move into sponsorship management was the beginning of a real career passion and a truly enjoyable work experience. I’ve worked alongside high profile sportsman like Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson, driving properties such as Official Beer England Rugby and Tetley’s Super League. Around 2002 I was given full responsibility for the company’s UK sponsorship portfolio adding the football properties of the FA (England Team, FA Cup) and Liverpool FC (to name but a few) to the rugby portfolio. In 2006, I took on the area of external communications for the UK, taking on new responsibilities around media relations and corporate issues. This included PR delivery across corporate, brand, trade and consumer channels, along with representing the company on the Portman Group and the BBPA communication groups. From a personal life point of view, I love football and have played at a high level. I have two sons - Connor and Morgan - who are also mad about the game and even at their tender ages are showing signs of quality. I live in Northampton, about two miles from work and have done for last 13 years. I remain ambitious and welcome fresh challenges, and with the external communications role added to my remit two years ago, working in the alcohol industry certainly delivers daily challenges.”
