Karen Earl Steps Down As Synergy Chair

Karen Earl has stepped down as chair of Synergy Sponsorship, 29 years after setting up Karen Earl Sponsorship, the company that evolved into Synergy in 2008. In an industry then as now populated by rights-facing and sales-focused sponsorship agencies, Karen’s vision back in 1984 was ground-breaking - a brand-facing, consultancy-focused company that never sells sponsorships. This positioning remains core to Synergy.

Karen will remain as chairman of The European Sponsorship Association, continuing to advance the business of sponsorship. By giving special focus to education and training, and establishing the first ever professional qualification for sponsorship, she will be helping to drive up standards of excellence across the industry.

Karen Earl commented: “Since we began the agency in 1984, sponsorship has developed exponentially and now presents clients and agencies with very exciting opportunities. The industry has never been better placed to communicate with audiences and London 2012 will be a great example of its effectiveness. I move on from Synergy with so many wonderful memories, but also excitement for the future.”

Synergy CEO Tim Crow commented: “Karen’s has been one of the truly great sponsorship careers. She will always be remembered for having been in the pantheon of industry pioneers who created the template for what became a global industry in her time."