Whisper appoints AELTC’s Alexandra Willis to advisory board

Alexandra Willis has been appointed to the Whisper advisory board. She will sit alongside existing advisory board members, former All-Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, cricket legend Michael Vaughan and former British and Irish Lion Ugo Monye.

Willis is communications and marketing director at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which stages The Championships, Wimbledon, for which she has championed the development of award-winning global digital strategies over the past ten years. With an innovative approach, she has transformed the perceptions of a traditional brand and grown Wimbledon’s global digital audiences to over 30 million.

Alongside her role at Wimbledon, Willis will now bring her expertise to support Whisper as it prepares for a busy summer of sport, including The Paralympics, International Cricket and Formula One, with The British Grand Prix.

Willis will feed into Whisper’s growing digital remit, which includes delivering content and services to enhance its broadcast/SVOD offering, as well operating as a standalone multi-platform provider for major events and clients, such as World Rugby.

Willis commented: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the Whisper advisory board. I’ve long been an admirer of the team’s work and so leapt at the opportunity to both contribute to Whisper’s vision and ambition and to broaden my own skillset in this non-executive advisory role. There is a tremendous opportunity for the entire sports industry to continue to enhance our content output to engage meaningfully with the modern consumer in both live and on-demand settings and I look forward to supporting Whisper as they continue to innovate and evolve their offering for both their clients and the industry as a whole.”

Sunil Patel, Whisper CEO, commented: “We have been talking to Alex for some time, having been very impressed by what she has achieved with AELTC and Wimbledon. She has been instrumental in transforming the AELTC’s digital strategy and it’s great to have her skills as part of our advisory team. It’s great to welcome a recognised innovator in her field, who is a role model to young women trying to break into the industry.

“Digital is now intrinsically linked to all our partnerships with broadcasters, SVODS, governing bodies and brands and Alex’s ambition to grow reach, exposure and engagement matches ours. We’re delighted to have her onboard as we look to grow and maximise existing and future business.”

Richard DeOliveira has also joined Whisper as digital operations lead. Having worked as head of digital at Red Bull Racing Formula One during its four-year reign as World Champions and beyond, DeOliveira mastered his trade at Ministry of Sound, where he worked for six years.

He has joined the team to help maximise and develop Whisper’s multi-platform content. He will also manage Whisper’s key digital relationships and ensure it remains across future digital trends and innovations, as it continues to increase its offering to broadcasters, governing bodies and brands.