Allied Sports Launches International Practice Headed By Jeff Ehrenkranz

Allied Sports has appointed Jeff Ehrenkranz to lead its international expansion. Ehrenkranz joins the start-up after 25 years with Octagon Worldwide, where most recently he served as President of Octagon’s International Marketing business and is credited with transforming the company’s European and Asian offering from a traditional sponsorship agency to a creative sports marketing agency.

“Allied Sports is bringing together proven leaders who have built and managed the largest brand consultancies and sales organisations in the industry,” said Greg Luckman, CEO and Co-Managing Director. “Jeff’s track record building cross-cultural agency teams that produce award-winning work for clients is a perfect fit for our international growth strategy. We are excited for Jeff to launch our full-service team in London with a relentless commitment to powerful ideas and impactful work.”  

Ehrenkranz’s career at Octagon included time living around the world while managing core elements of the agency’s sports and entertainment marketing business in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. He transferred to London in 2013, growing the business to over 300 people across 12 markets, representing world class brands and rights holders including AIG, Budweiser, Hotels.com, Liverpool FC, MasterCard, Shell and UEFA. He also added breadth and depth to Octagon’s global footprint through strategic investments and acquisitions in key markets including Germany, France, Japan and Russia.

The move is part of a strategic expansion for Allied Sports within the independently owned and operated Allied Global Marketing network, which serves clients across six continents as a specialist in entertainment and lifestyle marketing. Ehrenkranz will be based in London at the agency’s current international headquarters.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Allied family at such a pivotal time for our industry,” said Ehrenkranz. “The quality of the team and its entrepreneurial spirit, combined with the deep resources and global reach of the broader company, provide an amazing foundation for us to expand the mission of Allied Sports as an ally for the industry.”

Since launching in 2019, Allied Sports has been helping marketers make the strategic shift from Sponsor to StorytellerTM as a result of the agency’s trusted relationships with rights holders and content creators. In addition to its geographic expansion, Allied Sports has evolved its lines of business to include brand marketing, partnership sales, sports content and athlete marketing with diverse clients such as the NFLPA, Quest Diagnostics, New Zealand All Blacks, Miami Heat, game1 and OneTeam Partners.